r-NRLF 


SB    bl    ELD 


Lafayette  Day,  September  6,1919 

Call  issued  by  the  Lafayette  Day 
National  Committee 

and 

Report  of  the  National  Observance  in  the 

United  States  of  the  double  anniversary 

September  6,  1918  of  the  Birth  of 

Lafayette  (1757)  and  the  Battle 

of    the    Marne    (1914) 


This  book  contains  the  first  publication  of  the  full  text  of  the  address 
delivered  by  Theodore  Roosevelt  on  Lafayette  Day,  1918,  (one  of  his  last 
notable  utterances  dealing  with  Americanism  and  Peace)  as  also  of  the 
addresses  delivered  on  the  same  occasion  by  His  Excellency,  the 
French  Ambassador,  Secretary  Daniels,  Count  de  Chambrun,  Major-General 
Crozier  (on  the  Battle  of  the  Marne),  M.  Stephane  Lauzanne,  Hon.  Alton 
B.  Parker,  Hon.  John  J.  Bates,  Mr.  Justice  de  Courcy  and  M.  Louis  Mercier. 


GIFT  OF 


LAFAYETTE  DAY,  SEPTEMBER  6,  1919. 

ANNIVERSARY  OF  LAFAYETTE  (1757)  AND  THE 

MARNE  (1914). 


Call  issued  by  the  Lafayette  Day  National  Committee 


In  August,  1915,  this  Committee  upon  its  formation 
commended  to  the  nation  the  opportunity  to  celebrate  on  September 
6th  of  that  year  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Lafayette  in  1757 
and  that  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  in  1914.  On  July  I4th  of  each 
succeeding  year  since  that  first  call,  this  Committee  has  renewed  its 
appeal  to  the  American  people  to  honor  the  memory  of  one 
of  the  noblest  heroes  of  the  American  Revolution,  thanks  to  whose 
efforts  France's  sympathy  for  the  cause  of  freedom  was  given  effec 
tive  expression  at  the  crucial  period  of  the  struggle  for 
American  Independence,  and  to  commemorate  the  victory  of  the 
Marne  in  1914  when  world  freedom  was  saved  from  a  deadly  peril. 
To  these  four  successive  calls  the  press  and  public  have  responded 
with  ever  increasing  readiness  and  enthusiasm  and,  last  year,  the 
President  of  the  United  States  attended  the  exercises  of  the  double 
anniversary  at  the  Lafayette  Monument  in  Washington,  while  Col 
onel  Theodore  Roosevelt,  who  joined  in  every  call  heretofore  issued 
by  this  Committee,  was  its  spokesman  at  the  principal  exercises  held 
in  the  City  Hall,  New  York;  and  simultaneously,  in  hundreds  of 
cities,  towns  and  villages  throughout  the  land,  the  day  was  fittingly 
observed. 

The  movement  thus  initiated  and  carried  on  represents  possibly 
the  earliest  expression  on  a  national  scale  of  the  hope  of  America, 
now  happily  fulfilled,  that  liberty  and  justice  might  triumph  in  the 
greatest  of  human  struggles  which  with  our  co-operation  has  been 
brought  to  a  victorious  end. 

We  gladly  avail  of  this  occasion  to  express  publicly  on  our  be 
half  and  that  of  the  numerous  committees  and  societies  throughout 
the  land  which  have  co-operated  .  ith  us  ide-ep  jappreciatiph,  $f  the 


action  of  the  governors  of  the  States  of  Tennessee,  .Nevada,  Ohio, 
Massachusetts,  Georgia  and  Indiana  and  of  the  Governor  of  Porto 
Rico  who,  in  response  to  our  preceding  call  when  brought  to  their 
attention  by  the  American  Defense  Society  issued  special  proclama 
tions  for  the  fitting  observance  of  Lafayette  Day  in  1918.  Our 
report  for  last  year  includes  these  proclamations  and,  showing  as  it 
does  that  the  patriotic  observance  of  the  day  has  become  truly 
national,  we  trust  it  may  induce  the  governors  of  the  same  states 
to  take  similar  action  this  year  and  that  their  example  may  be  fol 
lowed  by  their  colleagues  in  the  other  states. 

Again  issuing  our  call  on  July  I4th,  when  France  commemorates 
her  age-long  struggles  for  liberty  which  eventually  brought  the  whole 
civilized  world  to  her  support  and  its  defense,  we  venture  anew  to 
remind  our  people  that  in  honoring  Lafayette  upon  his  anniversary, 
made  doubly  memorable  for  all  mankind  by  the  Battle  of  the  Marne, 
we  shall  be  giving  expression  to  the  feeling  of  fraternal  regard  for 
our  sister  republic,  our  ally  of  old  and  of  today,  which  exists  among 
all  elements  of  our  people,  and  shall  be  celebrating  with  her  the  day 
which  turned  the  tide  of  battle  for  freedom  and  the  right,  giving  u? 
time  to  organize  our  forces  on  land  and  sea  and  to  provide  the 
factor  which  proved  decisive. 


Charles  W.  Eliot 

Moorfield  Storey 
*Joseph  H.  Choate 

Joseph  H.  Choate,  Jr. 

Henry  van  Dyke 
*Theodore  Roosevelt 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr. 

George  W.  Wickershatn 

George  Haven  Putnam 

William  D.  Guthrie 


(N.Y. 


(Mass.)     Henry  Watterson 

Charles  J.  Bonaparte 
Caspar  F.  Goodrich 
W.  R.  Hodges 
Charles  P.  Johnson 
Judson  Harmon 
Myron  T.  Herrick 
Charles  Stewart  DaTison 
Maurice  Leon 


(Ky.) 

(Md.) 

(Conn.) 

(Mo.) 
« 

(Ohio) 

M 

(N.Y.)  Hon.  Sec. 
Rec.  Sec. 


Room  1008.  60  Wall  Street,  New  York 


The  Lafayette  Monument,  Union  Square,   X.  Y.,  on  Lafayette  Day,  Sept.  6,  1918. 


438439 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Call  Issued  by  Lafayette  Day  National  Committee I 

Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Tennessee 2 

"             "     "           "           "  Nevada    3 

"     "            "            "  Ohio 4 

"     "           "           "  Massachusetts 5 

"     "           "           "  Porto  Rico 6 

"     "            "            "  Georgia    8 

Exercises  at  City  Hall,  New  York : 

Address — Hon.  Victor  J.  Dowling,  Chairman 16 

Reading  of  Messages  by  Mr.  Leon : 

Marshal  Joffre 23 

Foch 24 

General  Pershing   24 

Admiral  Sims 24 

Ambassador  Sharp 25 

Sir  David  Beatty 25 

Poem — Mr.  John  J.  Chapman 26 

Address — Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt 27 

Address — The  French  Ambassador 35 

Exercises  at  Statue  of  Lafayette,  Union  Square,  New  York. . .  47 

Address — Hon.  Alton  E.  Parker 47 

Exercises  at  the  Mall,  Central  Park,  New  York : 

Children's  Fete   •  54 

Exercises  in  Washington,  D.  C c^ 

Address — Hon.  Josephus  Daniels 59 

— Count  Charles  De  Chambrun 65 

Exercises  in  Boston,  Mass 69 

Address — Mayor  Andrew  J.  Peters 70 

—Hon.  John  J.  Bates 7! 

"       — Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy 77 

"      — Major-General  William  Crozier,  U.  S.  A 91 

— M.  Louis  J.  A.  Mercier I03 


ii  CONTEN1S 

PAGE 

Lafayette  Day  in  Other  Cities : 

Milwaukee    , 106 

Address — Stephane  Lauzanne 108 

Philadelphia    112 

Los  Angeles 115 

Chicago    1 16 

New  Orleans    117 

Portland,  Oregon    117 

Little  Rock 117 

Nashville   , 118 

Squirrel  Island 1 18 

Beaumont    1 18 

Cincinnati   1 10, 

Seattle     120 

St.  Paul 120 

Richmond   120 

Indianapolis   ; 121 

Atlanta    121 

Athens    121 

Hartford 122 

Berkeley   122 

Jersey  City I22 

Bayonne    123 

Seattle I2$ 

Albany 
Buffalo 
Auburn 

Stamford    I26 

American  Defense  Society  Meetings I28 

Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 130 

Lafayette  Day  and  the  Press 142 


LAFAYETTE  DAY. 
Anniversary  of  Lafayette  and  The  Marne 

Call  issued  by  the  Lafayette  Day  National  Committee 

60  Wall  Street, 

New  York. 

That  the  nation  may  celebrate  this  year,  as  it  has  in  each  of  the 
three  past  years,  the  anniversary  of  Lafayette's  birth,  September 
6th,  1757,  and  that  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  on  the  same  day  in 
1914,  the  undersigned  for  a  fourth  time  commend  to  you  the  oppor 
tunity  thus  afforded  to  honor  the  memory  and  commemorate  the 
deeds  of  one  of  the  noblest  heroes  of  the  American  Revolution, 
thanks  to  whose  efforts  France's  sympathy  for  the  cause  of  free 
dom  was  given  effective  expression  at  a  crucial  period  of  the 
struggle  for  American  Independence,  as  also  the  Victory  of  the 
Marne  in  1914  when  again  the  threatened  cause  of  Freedom  was 
saved.  In  each  of  the  last  three  years  the  press  at  large  has  con 
tributed  to  the  ever-renewed  patriotic  interest  of  our  people  in  the 
personality  and  achievements  of  Lafayette  by  means  of  leading 
articles  published  on  or  near  the  day  of  the  anniversary  and  it  is 
hoped  it  will  do  so  again  this  year;  and  municipalities  acting  with 
the  co-operation  of  patriotic  societies  are  urged  to  again  hold  suit 
able  exercises  upon  that  day,  as  has  been  done  for  now  several 
years  in  a  number  of  our  principal  cities,  many  of  which  possess 
monuments  in  honor  of  Lafayette. 

Issuing  this  call  on  July  I4th,  when  France  commemorates  her 
own  personal  struggle  for  liberty,  we  are  not  unmindful  that  in 
honoring  Lafayette  upon  his  anniversary,  a  date  made  doubly 
memorable  by  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  we  shall  also  be  giving 
expression  to  the  sentiment  of  fraternal  regard  for  our  sister 
republic,  our  ally  of  old  and  of  to-day,  which  exists  among  all 
elements  of  our  people  and  shall  be  celebrating  with  her  the  day 
which  turned  the  tide  of  battle  for  freedom  and  the  right. 

Charles  W.  Eliot  (Mass.)     Henry  Watterson  (Ky.) 

Moorfield  Storey                                    Charles  J.  Bonaparte'  (Md.) 

"Joseph  H.  Choate                                   Caspar  F.  Goodrich  (Conn.) 

Joseph  H.  Choate,  Jr.  (N.Y.)     W.  R.  Hodges  (Mo.) 

Henry  van  Dyke  (N.  J.)     Charles  P.  Johnson  " 

Theodore  Roosevelt  (N.Y.)     Judson  Harmon  (Ohio) 

George  W.  Wickersham                         Myron  T.  Herrick  " 
George  Hav?n  Putnam                         Charles  Stewart  Davison        (N.  Y.)  Hon.  Sec 

William  D.  Guthrie                                Maurice  Leon  "         Rrc'  gec ' 


$y  the  Governor  of  Tennessee 

A  PROCLAMATION 
BY  THE  GOVERNOR 

Because  of  the  ravages  of  the  war  the  civilian  population  of 
France  has  been  submitted  to  great  suffering.  The  women  and  chil 
dren  have  in  many  cases  lost  their  homes;  in  fact,  their  all  and  it  is 
said  that  many  are  wanderers,  traveling  about  the  country  living 
on  charity.  Notwithstanding  this  depressing  situation  her  soldiers 
are  righting  bravely  with  our  own  and  we  have  reason  to  believe 
that  she  will  continue  to  give  as  long  as  she  has  a  soldier  to  offer. 

Through  an  organization  called  the  Fatherless  Children  of 
France,  of  which  General  Joffre  is  President,  an  arrangement  has 
been  made  under  which,  for  the  sum  of  $36.50  per  year,  a  child  can 
be  clothed  and  fed.  This  arrangement  was  made  for  the  purpose  of 
caring  for  those  children  particularly  whose  fathers  have  been  killed 
in  the  war  and  who  are  now  without  support,  and  it  is  said  that  it 
will  permit  the  French  mothers  to  keep  their  children  at  home  where 
they  may  themselves  care  for  them. 

This  appeal,  coming  as  it  does  from  little  children,  will,  I  am 
sure,  reach  the  hearts  of  Tennessee's  men  and  women ;  in  fact,  all 
Americans,  and  I  recommend  that  on  September  6th,  which  is 
Lafayette  Day,  and  also  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  First  Battle 
of  the  Marne,  our  men  and  women  and  children  interest  themselves 
in  a  collection  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  of  France.  Gifts  of 
any  size  may  be  sent  to  Sam.  H.  Orr,  Nashville  Trust  Company, 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  who  will  forward  the  total  sum  donated  to  the 
French  officers  in  charge  of  this  charity  which  is  headed  by  General 
Joffre. 

I  also  recommend  that  on  that  day  the  French  colors  be  displayed 
on  all  public  and  private  buildings  of  this  State  and  that  the 
Marsellaise  be  sung  or  played  as  generally  as  possibly. 

Done  at  the  executive  office  this,  the  3rd  day 

[STATE    SEAL]         of  August,   1918.     Witness  my  hand  and  the 
Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

By  the  Governor :  TOM.  C.  AYRE 

Secretary  of  State.  Governor. 

JK.  B.  STEVENS. 


Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Nevada 

STATE  OF   NEVADA 

EXECUTIVE  CHAMBER 

CARSON  CITY 

A  PROCLAMATION  BY  THE  GOVERNOR. 

WHEREAS,  the  La  Fayette  Day  National  Committee  has  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  SIXTH  DAY  OF  SEPTEMBER  marks  two 
great  events  in  the  history  of  France  and  Freedom,  to  wit : 

THE  BIRTHDAY  OF  THE  MARQUIS  DE  LA  FAYETTE,  1757 

and 
THE  DECISIVE  BATTLE  OF  THE  MARNE,  1914 

AND  WHEREAS,  it  is  fitting  that  such  an  anniversary  be  observed 
in  the  State  of  Nevada  in  common  with  the  other  States  of  the 
Union ; 

Now  THEREFORE,  I,  EMMET  D.  BOYLE?  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Nevada,  by  authority  in  me  vested,  do  proclaim  the  foregoing  and 
earnestly  suggest  to  the  people  that  this  anniversary  be  observed  and 
celebrated  in  the  schools,  churches  and  public  places.  As  a 
permanent  mark  of  the  significance  of  this  anniversary  it  is  planned 
in  some  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  Union  to  set  aside  a  site  in  some 
public  place  for  a  statue  or  bust  of  La  Fayette,  whose  precept  and 
example  turned  the  tide  of  fortune  in  our  Revolutionary  times  no 
less  gloriously  than  the  deeds  of  his  gallant  successors  at  the  Marne 
preserved  the  liberties  of  our  own  times. 

GIVEN  under  my  hand  and  the  Great  Seal  of  the 
State  of  Nevada  at  the  Capitol  in  Carson  City, 
[STATE    SEAL]         this  24th  day  of  August  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighteen. 

By  the  Governor:  EMMET  D.  BOYLE, 

GEORGE  BRODIGAN,  Governor. 

Secretary  of  State. 


Poclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Ohio 

'  STATE  OF  OHIO 
EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT 

OFFICE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR 

Columbus 
PROCLAMATION 

The  one  hundred  and  sixty-first  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  the  great  French  hero  and  friend  of  the 
American  Colonies,  is  September  sixth,  1918. 

The  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  1914,  which  resulted 
in  stopping  the  first  German  drive  to  Paris,  falls  on  the  same  date. 
Every  loyal  American  citizen  knows  today  that  our  own  liberty  was 
at  stake  in  that  drive.  Observance  of  this  double  anniversary  is 
eminently  fitting. 

I,  therefore,  James  M.  Cox,  Governor  of  Ohio,  proclaim  Septem 
ber  sixth,  1918,  as  a  day  to  be  observed  in  perpetuating  the  memory 
of  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  and  in  evidencing  our  gratitude  for  the 
victory  of  the  Marne.  It  is  respectfully  urged  that  wherever  public 
meetings  can  be  properly  arranged  throughout  the  state,  attention 
be  given  to  these  matters,  and  such  action  taken  as  will  demon 
strate  the  sincerity  of  our  words. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  sub 
scribed  my  name  and  caused  the  Great  Seal  of 
[GREAT  SEAL]  the  State  of  Ohio  to  be  affixed,  in  the  City  of 
Columbus  this  twenty-sixth  day  of  August  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
eighteen. 

By  the  JAMES  M.  COX, 

Secretary  of  State  Governor. 

WILLIAM  D.  FULTON. 


Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 
By  His  Excellency  SAMUEL  W.  McCALL,  Governor. 

A  PROCLAMATION. 

To  the  end  that  our  thoughts  may  be  more  particularly  directed 
toward  those  ties  that  bind  us  to  France,  not  only  of  the  present, 
when  we  are  fighting  by  her  side,  but  also  of  that  day  when  she 
was  instrumental  in  helping  us  obtain  our  liberties,  and  in  recognition 
of  that  valient  son  of  hers  who  was  a  friend  of  the  American 
colonies,  and  who  perhaps  more  than  any  other  helped  us  in  obtain 
ing  our  freedom,  I  hereby  set  aside  the 

SIXTH    DAY    OF  SEPTEMBER 

as 
LAFAYETTE  DAY 

and  urge  its  observance  upon  all  our. people  in  ways  that  will  best 
show  our  lasting  appreciation.  The  day  falls  on  the  one  hundred 
and  sixty-first  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  this  great  French  hero. 
It  is  also  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Marne  which  turned 
the  tide  of  barbarism  in  nineteen  hundred  and  fourteen.  General 
Lafayette  was  the  very  knight  errant  of  humanity  and  democracy. 
The  benefit  of  his  service  to  our  country  was  incalculable,  and  his 
presence  was  a  constant  inspiration  to  Washington.  He  was  a 
leader  for  democracy,  for  the  distribution  of  the  burdens  of  govern 
ment,  for  freedom  of  speech,  for  the  destruction  of  privilege,  and 
for  the  establishment  of  an  era  of  justice  among  all  men,  but  he  was 
opposed  to  the  excesses,  to  the  bloodshed,  and  to  the  crimes  of  the 
Revolution.  His  career  is  the  treasure  of  the  race.  It  is  not  merely 
a  possession  of  his  country  or  of  our  own  but  it  exalts  and  en 
nobles  mankind  everywhere.  His  fame  is  all  the  more  luminous  be 
cause  there  was  nothing  about  it  of  self  seeking,  and  because  of  his 
steady  devotion  to  high  principles.  In  honoring  him  and  the  nation 
that  gave  him  to  us  we  can  show  our  gratitude  in  no  better  way 
than  by  the  generous  bounty  of  our  charity.  The  hero  of  the  Marne, 
Marshall  Joflfre,  is  President  of  a  most  worthy  French  chanty,  The 

5 


Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Porto  Rico 

Fatherless  Children  of  France,  and  to  the  requests  of  this  organiza 
tion  I  direct  the  attention  of  all  our  people. 

Given  at  the  Executive  Chamber  at  Boston  this 
fourth  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighteen,  and  of  the 
Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the 
one  hundred  and  forty-third. 

By  His  Excellency  the  Governor. 

[STATE    SEAL]         SAMUEL  W.  McCALL, 

GOD   SAVE  THE   COMMONWEALTH    OF   MASSACHUSETTS. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  PORTO  RICO 

OFFICE  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY. 


SAN  JUAN,  P.  R.,  September  4,  1918. 
Administrative 
Bulletin 
No.  146. 

BY  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  PORTO  Rico 

A  PROCLAMATION. 
"Lafayette  Day" 

Next  Friday,  September  the  6th,  will  be  the  anniversary  of  the 
birth  of  the  great  French  soldier  and  statesman  the  Marquis  of 
Lafayette,  who  placed  his  intelligence  and  his  sword  at  the  disposal 
of  America  in  the  struggle  for  the  principles  of  freedom  that  were 
and  are  the  foundation  of  our  Constitution  and  national  life. 

Lafayette  was  the  noble  and  heroic  leader  of  those  French 
legions  which  throughout  the  war  for  our  independence  bravely 
fought  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  American  troops  in  the  memor 
able  battles  recorded  on  the  first  pages  of  the  History  of  the  United 
States,  and  it  is  the  unquestionable  duty  of  every  good  patriot  to 
render  an  homage  of  love  and  gratitude  to  his  memory,  thereby 
extolling  the  notable  deeds  of  his  whole  glorious  life. 


Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Porto  Rico 

Besides  being  the  birthday  of  that  great  man,  September  the 
6th  is  also  the  anniversary  of  the  first  battle  of  the  Marne.  This 
was  one  of  the  greatest  feats  of  arms  that  have  ever  taken  place  in 
the  history  of  the  world  and  was  the  turning  point  in  this  gigantic 
war  for  the  liberty  of  mankind.  Another  battle  of  almost  equal 
importance  has  recently  taken  place  upon  this  sacred  river  of 
France,  whose  waters  have  twice  been  reddened  with  the  blood  of 
the  heroes  of  liberty  both  French  and  American. 

I  request  that  as  far  as  possible  the  buildings  public  and  private 
be  decorated  with  the  colors  of  France  arid  in  other  ways  the  respect 
of  the  people  be  shown  for  a  great  man  and  a  great  cause. 

Let  us  therefore  celebrate  this  double  anniversary  with  the 
greatest  enthusiasm,  and  trusting  in  the  justice  of  our  cause,  let  us 
all  join  in  showing  our  love  and  devotion  for  Lafayette  as  a  way  of 
reaffirming  our  unshakeable  faith  in  the  heroic  armies  that  have 
twice  saved  the  world  at  the  Marne  and  will  continue  their  victories 
till  the  final  triumph. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and 
caused  the  seal  of  The  People  of  Porto  Rico  to  be  affixed. 

Done  at  the  City  of  San  Juan,  this  fourth  day  of  September, 
A.  D.  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighteen. 
[SEAL]  ARTHUR  YAGER, 

Governor. 
Promulgated  according  to  law,  September  4,  1918. 

R.  SIACA  PACHEEO, 
Executive  Secretary  of  Porto  Rico. 


Proclamation  by  tlie  Governor  *>/  Georgia 
PROCLAMATION. 

Friday,  September  6th  next,  marks  a  glorious  day  in  the  world's 
calendar.  It  commemorates  an  event  sacred  to  two  hemispheres. 
On  this  day — one  hundred  and  sixty-one  years  ago — the  great 
Palladin  of  Liberty  was  born.  The  approaching  anniversary 
awakens  in  our  hearts  a  feeling  of  gratitude,  and  reminds  us  once 
more  of  our  debts  to  France,  It  reminds  us,  too,  of  the  silent  hil 
locks  in  which  so  many  of  our  boys  are  sleeping, :  under  foreign 
skies.  These  mounds  of  earth  will  be  an  eternal  pledge  of  friend 
ship  between  France  and  America.  The  soil  in  which  our  boys  lie 
buried  will  always  be  dear  to  us. 

At  last  a  stigma"  upon  our  flag  has  been^  erased.  It  was  in  the 
darkest  hours  of  the  Revolution  that  LaFayette  came  to  us,  bring 
ing  upon  his  sword  a  new  hope  and  a  fresh  inspiration.  Without 
the  help  of  France,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  independence  of  the  colonies 
could  have  been  achieved.  In  his  own  vessel,  the  great  soldier  of 
fortune  came  to  America.  Though  bom  to  a  princely  inheritance, 
he  put  everything  aside  for  freedom.  Till  independence  was 
achieved,  his  gallant  blade  was  never  for  a  moment  idle  and  next 
to  Washington  he  stood  amid  the  culminating  scenes  of  the  Revolu 
tion.  Great  in  success,  he  was  greater  still  in  misfortune.  The 
forfeiture  of  his  magnificent  estates  did  not  impair  his  devotion  to 
free  government.  He  was  the  steadfast  friend  of  liberty  while  he 
lived  and  to  all  who  cherish  the  rights  of  mankind  the  heroic 
sacrifices  made  by  LaFayette  to  the  cause  of  freedom  will  ever 
be  held  in  grateful  recollection. 

To  the  end  that  his  memory  may  be  fittingly  honored  by  the 
people  of  Georgia  as  an  examplar  of  the  heroic  virtues  which,  in 
the  present  crisis  of  the  world,  must  characterize  those  who  are 
fighting  the  battles  of  democracy — to  the  end  that  the  youth  of  our 
state  may  be  taught  the  lessons  of  an  illustrious  life,  and  that  all 
of  us  may  be  strengthened  for  the  tasks  in  hand,  I,  Hugh  M. 
Dorsey,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  do  hereby  designate 
Sept.  6th  next  as  LaFayette  Day,  to  be  observed  with  appropriate 
exercises  throughout  the  State  and  likewise,  in  this  official  pro 
clamation,  I  call  upon  all  patriotic  societies  to  unite  in  making  the 
day  one  long  to  be  remembered. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  Seal  of  the  Executive  Department, 
this  September  4th!  1918.  HUGH  M.  DORSEY, 

By  the  Governor:  '  Governor: 

C.  A.  WEST, 

Secretary  Executive  Department. 

8 


Proclamation  by  the  Governor  of  Indiana 
PROCLAMATION 

The  i6ist  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the  great  Frenchman  finds 
the  descendants  of  Washington  and  LaFayette  fighting  side  by  side 
for  the  same  precious  liberty  for  which  the  two  national  heroes 
fought  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  ago.  And  this,  too,  is  to  be  a 
winning  fight,  a  fight  which  will  not  end  until  the  enemies  of  freedom 
and  humanity  shall  lay  down  their  arms  and  accept  the  dictates  of 
modern  civilization ;  will  not  end  until  the  powers  of  political  dark 
ness  are  so  decisively  beaten  that  never  again  will  a  power  mad 
monarch  dare  to  defy  the  world  under  the  slogan  that  'might  makes 
right/ 

Therefore,  in  order  that  we  may  at  this  time  reflect  upon  the 
great  friendship  and  ideals  now  existing  in  common  between  the 
peoples  of  the  United  States  and  the  republic  of  France,  I,  James  P. 
Goodrich,  Governor  of  Indiana,  do  hereby  designate  Friday,  Sep 
tember  sixth,  the  anniversary  of  the  great  Frenchman  and  of  the 
first  battle  of  the  Marne  as 

LAFAYETTE  DAY 

and  do  suggest  that  the  people  of  Indiana  do  observe  it  by  the  proper 
display  of  flags  and  by  such  patriotic  exercises  as  are  practicable. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set 
my  hand  and  caused  to  be  affixed  the  Great  Seal 
[STATE  SEAL]  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  at  the  Capitol,  in  the 
City  of  Indianapolis,  this  gth  day  of  September, 
1918. 

I.  P.  GOODRICH, 

By  the  Governor :  Governor. 

WILLIAM  A.  ROACH, 
Secretary  of  State. 


—  II  '  •  .  •-  •••• 


- 


-.   . .  ••• 
:-i 

>-v  ,  •- 

".•:     >.  • 


.  -   :  -      • 

,.-.    .  , 


10 


•  H'jrs-wrtE 

>        -  J.Pxrpv  ~.y--. 

Ei&xf*  C.  Mwrif 


.  s.  y. 


Officers  and  Special  Committees  of 
Lafayette  Day  Exercises  held  in  New  York 
In  commemoration  of  the  double  anmrrersary  of  the  In 
Lafayette  and  the  Battle  of  the  31 ante 
September  6th , 


&:•. 


EiECl  Tl*K  O>M 


-.  ,  _ 


•*-  P. 


IX 


II 


31 


_,  "C 


Report  in  extenso  of  the  principal 

Lafayette  Day  Exercises 

Held  at  the 

Aldermanic  Chamber,  City  Hall,  Nezv  York 
September  6th,  1918. 

Present:  Hon.  Victor  J.  Bowling,  Chairman;  His  Excellency, 
the  French  Ambassador,  Chief  guest  of  honor  and  Mme.  Jusserand ; 
Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt;  John  Jay  Chapman,  Esq.,  the  officers 
and  members  of  the  Lafayette  Day  Citizens'  Committee  (see  list  at 
pp.  10  and  ii)  and  the  following  officially  invited  guests : 

France:  Rear-Admiral  Grout,  Commanding  Atlantic  Division 
of  the  French  Navy ;  Capt.  Loyer ;  Capt.  de  Rocquefeuil ;  Com 
mander  LeGall,  chief  of  staff;  Lieut,  de  Mandat-Grancey,  aide; 
Lieut.  Commander  Rebel;  Lieut,  de  Chevigne;  General  Vignal, 
Military  Attache  of  the  French  Embassy ;  Mr.  Gaston  Liebert, 
Consul  General  of  France ;  Mr.  Henri  Goiran,  Consul  of  France  ; 
Comptroller  Johannet  of  the  French  High  Commission ;  Mr. 
Marcel  Knecht;  Mr.  Daniel  Blumenthal;  Maitre  Frederic 
Allain ;  Mr.  Andre  Cheradame. 

Belgium:     Major  Osterreith  of  the  Belgian  Army. 

British  Empire:  Sir  Henry  Babington  Smith,  Acting  High 
Commissioner ;  Commodore  L.  Wells,  R.  N. ;  Brig.  General 
L.  R.  Kenvon,  C.  B. ;  Major  Norman  G.  Thwaites,  Geoffrey 
Butler,  C.  Clive  Bayley,  Consul  General ;  Lieut.  Col.  G.  Mait- 
land  Edwards,  Capt.  B.  S.  Evans,  R.  N. ;  Capt.  Kenneth  Hend 
erson,  R.  N. ;  Major  Eric  Lankester,  Capt.  C.  P.  Metcalfe, 
R.  N. ;  Lieut.  H.  C.  Treweets,  R.  N. 

Italy:  General  Emilio  Guglielmotti,  Military  Attache,  and  Capt. 
Vannutelli,  Naval  Attache  of  the  Italian  Embassy ;  Mr.  Romolo 
Tritoni,  Consul  General  of  Italy ;  Col.  Bindo  Binda,  Lieutenants 
Tappi  and  Tantimorri,  Mr.  Felice  Ferrero. 

Japan:  Capt.  Yakura,  Naval  Attache;  Chonosuke  Yada,  Consul 
General ;  Y.  Hatada. 

Russia:  Col.  A.  M.  Nikolaieff,  and  two  aides  ;  Lieut.  Commander 
G.  P.  Piotrovsky,  Naval  Attache  of  the  Russian  Embassy; 
Lieut.  Commander  M.  Gardeneff,  Michael  Oustinoff,  Consul 
General. 

15 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

Czecho-Slovakia :  Prof.  T.  J.  Masaryk,  General  Stefamk.  Capt. 
Hurban. 

Poland:     Ignace  Paderewski;  T.  M.  Helinski;  Dr.  Sparzynski. 
Portugal:     Alfredo  de  Mesquinth,  Consul  General. 
Haiti:     Charles  Moravia,  Consul  General. 

United  States:  Brig.-Gen.  Theodore  A.  Bingham,  U.  S.  A.,  and 
Aide;  Rear-Admiral  W.  R.  Usher,  U.  S.  N.,  and  Aide;  Rear- 
Admiral  C.  F.  Goodrich. 

These  guests  were  met  at  the  Bar  Association  Building,  West 
44th  Street,  by  the  Reception  Committee,  which  accompanied  them 
to  City  Hall,  attended  uy  an  escort  of  motor  cycle  police.  The  city 
was  profusely  decorated  with  flags,  particularly  along  the  route 
followed  by  the  party.  City  Hall  was  suitably  decorated  for  the 
occasion ;  the  decoration  of  the  Aldermanic  Chamber  centered  about 
Morse's  portrait  of  Lafayette  which  had  been  placed  over  the  plat 
form.  As  the  guests  entered  the  "Marseillaise"  was  played. 


ADDRESS  BY  HON.  VICTOR  J.  DOWLING  (Chairman). 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : 

It  is  my  privilege  as  Chairman  of  the  Lafayette  Day  Citizens' 
Committee  of  New  York,  to  welcome  this  distinguished  gathering, 
assembled  to  commemorate  two  events  inseparably  connected  with 
the  history  of  human  liberty — the  birth  of  Lafayette  and  the  first 
battle  of  the  Manic.  Separated  though  these  happenings  were  by 
more  than  a  century  and  a  half,  they  are  logically  connected,  for 
the  ardent  and  chivalrous  love  of  freedom,  which  was  the  dominating 
force  in  the  life  of  Lafayette,  was  the  inspiration  of  French  valor 
that  made  possible  the  first  great  overturn  of  the  invaders  at  the 
Marne. 

Few  are  the  names  that  thrill  the  hearts  of  men  for  more  than 
r».  generation.  Fewer  still  those  that  can  wield  a  power  beyond  the 
confines  of  their  native  land.  Yet  here  is  one  whose  memory  is' 

16 


Address  of  Hon.  I7  let  or  ! .  Doivling,  Chairman 

revered  by  two  great  republics,  after  the  lapse  of  a  century,  and  at 
whose  grave  in  Paris  today  our  military  leaders  voice  the  gratitude 
of  millions  across  the  ocean  which  he  found  so  sure  a  pathway  to 
glory.  It  is  singularly  appropriate  that  immortal  fame  should  have 
come  to  one  of  the'  most  unselfish  figures  in  history.  The  youth 
who  could  say  of  the  American  Revolution,  "At  the  first  news  of 
this  quarrel,  my  heart  was  enrolled  in  it,"  soon  proved  the  sincerity 
of  his  affection.  He  risked  everything  in  the  cause,  with  all  the 
ardor  and  the  devotion  which  characterize  a  true  Frenchman.  His 
earnestness  was  irresistible  and  disarmed  even  the  most  suspicious, 
but  defeated  his  desire  to  serve  as  a  volunteer  without  command  and 
without  pay.  And  so,  a  Major  General  at  19,  he  entered  on  the 
career  which  made  him  one  of  the  last  heirs  of  the  ages  of  chivalry, 
and  a  new  Chevalier  Bayard,  "sans  peur  et  sans  reproche."  What 
a  destiny  was  his,  to  see  the  birth  of  the  new  Republic  of  the  West, 
to  view  the  death  of  autocracy  in  France,  to  witness  the  end  of  the 
attempt  at  world  domination  by  Napoleon,  and  as  well  to  have  been 
the  belowed  confidant  of  Washington  and  to  live  to  receive  the 
homage  of  the  fast  growing  republic  which  he  had  done  so  much 
to  aid.  His  patent  to  fame  may  rest  securely  upon  the  motive  which 
impelled  him  to  risk  all  for  America — "This  was  the  last  struggle 
of  liberty;  its  defeat  would  have  left  it  without  a  refuge  and  without 
a  hope." 

And  it  was  animated  by  that  same  spirit  of  Lafayette's  devotion, 
that  the  heroic  French  soldiers,  after  sustaining  burdens  seemingly 
beyond  human  endurance,  and  when  the  breathless  world  dared 
hope  for  no  more  from  them,  stood  at  the  word  of  command  from 
the  great  leader,  Marshal  Joffre  and  then  leaped  forward  and  de 
livered  the  blow  for  which  they  seemed  to  have  gathered  force  from 
the  soil  of  France  itself,  since  mortal  strength  could  do  no  more. 
But  they  knew  it  was  not  France  alone  that  they  were  defending, 
nor  even  the  homes  and  families  so  dear  to  their  hearts.  They 
were  fighting  for  human  liberty  and  human  civilization,  and  with 
them  fought  the  spirits  of  every  hero  who  had  drawn  the  sword  to 
defend  the  right.  What  wonder  that  the  exhausted  but  indomitable 
soldiers  saw  in  the  clouds  above  them,  leading  them  into  the  fray, 
the  vision  of  Jeanne  d'Arc  with  glittering  sword  and  shining  armor, 
pointing  the  way  into  the  heart  of  the  foe?  What  wonder  that 

17 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Y.ork — Principal  Exercises 

others  saw  with  equal  clarity,  St.  Genevieve,  who  had  intervened  to 
save  by  her  prayers  her  beloved  city  of  Paris  from  the  threatened 
assault  of  Attila  and  his  earlier  horde  of  Huns?  With  them  went 
forth  the  hopes  and  prayers  of  every  man  and  woman  and  child 
in  the  world  who  feared  God  and  loved  his  neighbor.  And  where 
could  the  fate  of  civilization  be  more  fitly  determined  than  on  the 
soil  of  France,  already  consecrated  by  the  blood  of  those  who  had 
died  to  save  it  once  before,  when  Charles  Mart  el  dealt  the  mortal 
blow  to  Saracen  supremacy  at  Poitiers. 

But  since  we  met  a  year  ago  to  celebrate  these  glorious  anni 
versaries,  history  has  been  in  the  making.  Where  then  we  were 
determined  and  hopeful,  now  we  are  confident  and  certain.  The 
beast  that  has  wallowed  in  the  fairest  fields  of  France  is  slowly  drag- 
ging  its  wounded  bulk  back  toward  its  lair,  and  while  it  still  shows 
its  reddened  tusks  and  gory  lips,  it  is  bleeding  from  every  pore. 
Soon  it  will  be  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  steel  from  which  escape  will 
be  impossible,  and  while  its  death  struggle  may  be  violent,  its  end 
is  assured.  What  the  invaded  countries  have  suffered  during  the 
past  year,  no  one  can  realize  and  I  doubt  if  any  one  will  ever  dare 
to  record.  Attila  boasted  that  no  grass  ever  grew  again  on  the 
spots  where  his  horse  had  trod.  The  modern  'Huns  have  sought  in 
insane  fury  to  destroy  the  very  ground  itself.  To  destroy  the 
homes  of  a  people  seemed  commonplace  to  them ;  they  sought  to 
annihilate  everything  that  spoke  of  past  or  present  glory.  The 
shrines  which  the  devotion  of  centuries  had  reared  to  God  and 
which  had  since  been  the  inspiration  of  every  age  and  land,  were 
no  more  sacred  to  them  than  those  whose  lives  had  been  devoted 
to  God's  service.  They  destroyed  everything  of  historic  value  that 
they  could  not  carry  away,  and  then  they  killed  the  fruit  trees,  as 
the  last  monument  of  their  valor.  And  when  they  had  disposed  of 
everything  living  within  their  reach,  they  violated  the  sepulchres 
of  the  dead.  As  they  are  retreating  now,  in  impotent  rage  they 
crush  everything  within  reach,  for  they  know  that  they  are  going, 
never  to  return.  But  above  the  ruined,  shell  torn,  corpse-strewn 
fields  of  France,  there  is  a  halo  which  never  hovered  there  in  her 
days  of  greatest  glory,  and  for  all  time  the  soil  of  France  will  be 
sacred  ground  to  every  lover  of  human  freedom.  (Applause). 

The  situation  in  which  the  Allied  nations  find  themselves  today 

18 


Address  of  Hon.  Victor  J.  Dowling,  Chairman 

is  one  to  which  each  has  contributed  its  share,  nobly  and  unselfishly. 
What  a  glorious  page  in  history  will  be  written,  when  the  full  story 
comes  to  be  told  of  the  British  Grand  Fleet,  that  gallant,  stalwart, 
heroic  guardian  of  the  seas,  the  skill  and  the  dauntless  courage  of 
whose  officers  arid  men  have  caged  the  German  navy  in  confessed 
impotency.  Without  that  fleet,  the  transportation  of  reinforcements 
would  have  been  impossible  and  the  issue  would  have  been  settled 
adversely  long  ago.  And  behold  the  "contemptible  little  army"  now 
grown  to  such  proportions  that  it  seems  the  spontaneous  growth  of 
an  aroused  nation,  rather  than  the  heroes  remaining  after  four  years 
of  titanic  struggle.  Belgium,  one  of  the  most  pathetic  figures  in  all 
history,  is  still  undaunted  and  unconquered.  Small  though  the  part 
may  be  which  still  remains  uninvaded,  a  Belgian  army  is  in  the  field, 
steadily  growing  in  numbers,  holding  its  own  section  of  the  common 
line,  and  preserving  the  best  traditions  of  the  valorous  "Lion  of 
Flanders."  Not  only  has  it  been  her  mission  to  furnish  one  of  the 
most  heroic  pictures  in  all  history,  but  she  has  given  to  the  world 
two  great  figures,  typifying  the  spiritual  courage  which  defies  brute 
force,  in  King  Albert  and  Cardinal  Mercier.  (Applause).  Portugal 
has  sent  its  full  quota  of  gallant  soldiers  who  have  paid  the  price 
of  freedom  to  the  full.  Japan  has  faithfully  and  loyally  kept  the 
faith  (Applause),  and  her  soldiers  are  fighting  side  by  side  with 
ours  to  save  from  itself  that  betrayed  and  helpless  Russia,  whose 
troops  by  their  inroads  into  East  Prussia,  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
War,  kept  busy  many  German  divisions  that  otherwise  would  have 
been  hurled  against  the  Western  line.  And  when  has  the  world 
ever  witnessed  a  more  inspiring  spectacle  than  that  of  gallant  Italy, 
aroused  and  irresistible,  triumphantly  indicating  her  title  to  her 
heritage  of  valor  by  the  glorious  victory  of  the  Piave.  (Applause), 
it  is  with  reason  that  the  United  States  will  tomorrow  launch  a 
9,000  ton  ship  to  be  christened  the  "Piave,"  not  only  in  recognition 
of  that  victory,  but  of  the  brilliant  exploits  of  the  Italian  Navy  as 
well.  Greece,  Serbia  and  all  the  other  countries  which  are  allied 
with  us  in  the  common  cause,  are  equally  bearing  their  share  of  the 
common  burden.  The  call  to  arms  for  the  preservation  of  human 
freedom  has  raised  the  hopes  of  all  the  oppressed  throughout  the 
world.  New  nations  are  in  the  making.  Poles,  Czecho-Slavs,  Jugo- 
Slavs — all  find  hope  for  escape  from  tyranny  in  the  triumph  of  the 

19 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

Allies  and  under  their  own  banners  they  are  fighting  to  earn  that 
national  independence  which  they  have  proven  their  worthiness  to 
attain.  The  hopes  of  mankind  are  centered  on  a  victory  so  decisive 
that  there  will  be  no  disposition  left  to  contest,  at  a  peace  confer 
ence,  the  grant  to  every  oppressed  pople  of  the  fullest  possible  meas 
ure  of  freedom,  in  order  that  whatever  is  settled  then  may  be  settled 
rightly,  and  for  all  time.  And  of  course  that  includes  the  restora 
tion  to  France  of  Alsace-Lorraine  (Applause),  whose  people  not 
only  are  determined  to  be  re-united  to  the  motherland,  but  have 
proven  it  by  the  numbers  of  their  sons  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  among  the  bravest  of  the  French  fighting  forces. 

One  hundred  and  seventy-one  of  its  generals  came  from  these 
provinces,  for  whose  annexation  to  Germany  there  is  not  the  slight 
est  excuse  save  the  German  desire  to  exploit  their  natural  resources 
— particularly  coal,  iron  and  potash — in  the  struggle  to  subdue  the 
rest  of  the  world;  which  is  very  good  reason  why  their  opportunity 
so  to  do  should  be  ended  forever. 

We  in  America  have  special  cause  to  be  proud  of  the  contribu 
tion  we  have  made  and  shall  make  to  the  Allied  cause.  It  is  not 
merely  because  of  the  1,600,000  men  we  have  been  able  to  send 
abroad,  but  chiefly  by  reason  of  the  indomitable  pluck,  the  reckless 
daring,  the  steadfast  courage,  which  have  marked  their  career  thus 
far.  Who  has  read  unmoved  the  account  of  the  combined  opera 
tions  of  the  Marines  and  of  the  New  England  and  Rainbow  divi 
sions  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  second  Marne  victory?  I  have  been 
told  of  one  instance  in  July  of  this  year,  when  the  Prussian  Guards 
were  given  orders  to  carry  at  all  costs  a  section  of  trenches  held  by 
a  battalion  of  a  certain  New  York  regiment  which  is  giving  fresh 
demonstration  of  the  old  friendship  between  France  and  Ireland. 
Nine  successive  times  the  Guards  advanced  in  force  against  this 
unit,  each  time  being  repulsed,  and  after  the  ninth  assault  the  Amer 
ican  boys  went  "over  the  top"  and  routed  the  Guards  with  the  cold 
steel,  over  700  of  their  number  lying  dead  or  seriously  wounded  on 
the  field.  The  refusal  of  a  commanding  General  to  order  his  men 
to  retreat  will  find  a  place  in  our  annals  with  the  reply  which  John 
Paul  Jones  made  to  the  demand  for  the  surrender  of  his  almost  dis 
mantled  ship,  "I  have  not  yet  begun  to  fight." 

One  of  the  most  heartening  things  which   the  past  year  has 


20 


Address  of  Hon.  Victor  /.  Dowling,  Chairman 

brought  about  has  been  complete  unity  among  the  Allied  nations. 
Not  only  unity  of  command,  but  unity  of  purpose,  of  aim,  and  of 
effort.  If  to  this  is  added  real  unity  of  resources,  now  on  the  way 
to  accomplishment,  the  ideal  will  have  been  realized.  There  is  not 
a  sign  of  dissension  or  mistrust  among  the  Allies.  Labor  has  done 
its  full  duty,  while  women  have  done  wonders,  alike  in  the  industrial 
and  the  welfare  field.  Money  has  been  ungrudgingly  given,  both  for 
governmental  and  war  service  purposes.  A  united  nation  has  given 
its  best  to  the  greatest  of  all  causes.  Truly  has  President  Wilson 
said  that  this  is  a  "war  of  emancipation"  and  that  "we  solemnly  pur 
pose  a  decisive  victory  of  arms."  Nothing  short  of  that  can  end 
the  constant  menace  to  human  rights  from  Prussian  militarism, 
nor  compel  Germany  to  realize  that  the  rules  of  morality  apply  to 
the  relations  between  nations  as  well  as  between  individuals.  How 
the  lesson  can  best  be  brought  home  to  her,  the  future  must  unfold. 
Whether  it  is  to  be  by  indemnities  for  some  of  the  wrongs  she  has 
committed;  whether  it  is  to  be  by  international  disarmament;  or 
whether  she  shall  be  punished  by  industrial  and  commercial  ostra 
cism  for  a  period  proportioned  to  the  duration  of  war; — all  these 
things  are  still  in  the  future.  The  German  people  have  willingly 
lent  themselves  to  this  sordid  scheme  of  aggression.  They  should  be 
made  in  some  way  to  pay  a  price  which  will  deprive  them — and 
every  other  people — of  all  desire  to  engage  in  any  future  adventure 
in  international  piracy. 

At  the  present  moment,  so. favorable  is  the  prospect  that  there 
is  but  one  thing  to  fear,  and  that  is  over-confidence.  The  foe  is 
watchful,  acute  and  vindictive.  He  is  still  too  strong  to  be  held 
cheaply,  nor  can  our  vigilance  relax  for  a  moment.  It  would  be  a 
calamity  were  we  to  slow  up  our  preparations  or  curtail  our  efforts 
in  the  mistaken  idea  that  the  war  is  now  won.  Glaring  headlines 
do  not  capture  towns,  nor  do  extravagant  claims  win  battles.  As 
long  as  there  is  an  Allied  soldier  feft  in  the  field,  let  us  support  the 
cause  with  every  bit  of  energy  and  every  element  of  force  that  we 
possess.  The  victorious  end  is  crtain ;  let  us  help  to  hasten  its 
arrival. 

It  is  a  great  joy  to  Americans  that  we  are  at  last  able  to  repay 
nur  debt  to  France.  Her  influence  was  felt  in  the  discoverv,  explora 
tion,  colonization  and  civilization  of  many  sections  of  our  country. 

21 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

Her  aid  was  vital  in  the  achievement  of  our  independence.  Our 
historical  association  with  Germany  is  mainly  that  of  the  Hessians 
whose  services  a  German  princeling  sold  to  help  to  defeat  us — a 
memory  which  not  even  a  few  isolated,  patriotic  figures  of  similar 
blood  can  efface.  That  sale  was  in  line  with  German  tradition,  for 
there  is  now  existent  today  a  single  nation  whose  freedom  Germany 
has  helped  to  win.  With  the  France  of  yesterday  and  today,  we  are 
bound  by  memories  of  Lafayette,  Rochambeau,  De  Grasse  and 
d'Estaing.  (Applause).  It  was  on  the  prophetically  named  "La 
Victoire" — an  auspicious  omen — that  Lafayette  arrived  in  America. 
It  is  an  equally  happy  omen  that  American  arms  have  helped  to 
carry  victory  to  France  in  the  second  battle  of  the  Marne.  The 
union  between  these  two  great  republics  is  now  .closer  and  more 
tender  than  ever,  for  our  hearts  shall  ever  deem  that  a  second  moth 
erland  under  whose  sod,  stained  with  their  heart's  blood,  so  many 
of  our  noble  boys  have  found  a  resting  place.  For  all  time,  \ve 
shall  venerate  as  shrines  those  places  which  the  gallantry  of  our 
soldiers  has  made  sacred  to  us.  Fresh  landmarks  for  freedom  are 
being  blazed  every  day.  Grateful  France  is  affixing  American 
names  to  many  and  widely  scattered  public  monuments.  Grateful 
America  within  a  few  days  will  launch  the  "Marne"  at  the  Kearney 
shipyards,  and  when  that  vessel  has  taken  the  water,  a  new  super- 
dreadnaught  will  be  on  the  ways,  to  be  christened  the  "Lafayette," 
both  to  be  sponsored  by  the  gracious  wife  of  the  distinguished 
French  Ambassador.  Thus  shall  again  be  demonstrated  the  at 
tachment  of  these  two  countries  to  each  other  and  to  the  cause  of 
human  freedom.  The  noble  self-effacement  of  Lafayette,  in  his 
proffer  of  his  services  to  Washington,  has  found  a  parallel  in  Gen 
eral  Pershing's  tender  of  his  entire  army  for  the  disposal  of  General 
Foch.  (Applause).  The  generous,  sincere  and  devoted  comrade 
ship  in  a  great  cause  which  ensured  immortality  for  the  names  of 
Washington  and  Lafayette  is  evident  today  in  the  loyal  cooperation 
of  Foch  and  Haig  and  Diaz  and  Pershing,  as  well  as  of  all  their 
efficient  commanders.  May  that  spirit  soon  win  its  reward  in  the 
complete  triumph  of  the  cause  of  justice,  liberty  and  civilization. 
And  when  that  day  arrives,  resplendent  on  the  rolls  on  which  a 
grateful  world  will  record  in  letters  of  gold  the  debt  it  owes  the 
heroes  of  the  two  great  battles  of  the  Marne,  will  appear  a  fresh 

22 


Reading  of  Messages  by  Mr.  Leon 

tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  chivalrous  Lafayette,  whose  spirit 
animated  every  participant  in  those  decisive  struggles.  (Great  ap 
plause). 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Mr.  Maurice  Leon,  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
in  charge  of  the  celebration  of  the  anniversary,  will  now  read  several 
messages : 

Reading  of  Messages  by  Maurice  Leon. 

The  first  message  is  from  Raymond  Poincare,  President  of  the 
French  Republic:  (Applause.) 

"The  French  people,  which  feels  itself,  day  by  day,  more 
closely  united  to  the  American  people,  is  deeply  touched  by 
and  grateful  for  the  warm  feeling  once  again  shown  by  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  in  honoring  the  double  anni 
versary  of  the  birth  of  Lafayette  and  the  victory  on  the 
Marne. 

"The  celebration  of  these  two  events  has  now  the  gn?."- 
deur  and  the  lustre  of  an  historical  symbol. 

"On  the  Marne  France  defended  not  only  her  own 
threatened  liberty,  but  the  injured  rights  of  mankind  itself. 
She  has  acted  as  the  vanguard  of  the  nations  whom  enemy 
imperialism  had  dreamed  of  subjugating.  She  gave  the 
world  time  to  prepare  itself  for  the  necessary  struggle  and 
thus  saved  it  from  slavery. 

"It  was  for  liberty,  too,  that  Lafayette  fought  by  the  side 
of  Washington.  The  names  of  these  two  brothers  in  arms 
are  inseparable,  as  are  forever  inseparable  the  hearts  of 
America  and  of  France. 

"If  America  has  not  forgotten  Lafayette,  if  she  has  not 
forgotten  Rochambeau,  De  Grasse,  La  Luzerne,  and  so  many 
Frenchmen  who  had  the  proud  joy  of  fighting  for  her  at  the 
dawn  of  her  independence,  how  could  France  ever  forget  the 
wonderful  influence  that  so  many  American  soldiers  bring 
her  now?  Every  day  I  am  witness  of  their  magnificent 
ardor,  of  their  courage  and  of  their  enthusiasm  for  the  com 
mon  cause. 

"In  the  name  of  France,  I  send  America  a  message  of 
fidelity,  affection  and  admiration." 

(Signed)     RAYMOND  POINCARE."     (Applause). 

The  second  message  is  from  Marshal  Joffre:  (Applause.) 

"At  the  hour  when  you  are  celebrating  at  the  same  time 
23 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Y.ork— Principal  Exercises 

the  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  and  that  of  the 
birth  of  Lafayette  I  join  myself  whole  heartedly  with  you, 
happy  to  be  able  to  applaud  on  this  great  day  the  first  suc 
cesses  of  the  American  Army  upon  the  soil  of  France." 

(Signed)     "J.  JOFFRE."     (Applause). 

The  next  message  is  from  Marshal  Foch:  (Applause.) 

"It  is  in  perfect  communion  of  sentiment  that  I  am  with 
you  today  in  the  celebration  of  'Lafayette  Day.'  Once  more 
the  union  of  our  peoples  will  make  our  strength;  the  valor  of 
the  American  soldiers  testifies  to  it. 

"Those  who  fall  die  as  brave  men  before  God.  If  their 
eyes  could  open  they  would  see  the  blue  sky." 

(Signed)     "FoCH."     (Applause). 

The  next  message  is  from  General  Pershing:  (Applause.) 

"On  this  fourth  anniversary  of  the  great  battle  all  people 
who  love  liberty  and  hate  oppression  unite  in  admiration  and 
gratitude  to  those  gallant  soldiers  of  the  French  and  British 
armies  whose  heroic  acts  turned  back  the  advancing  hordes 
of  the  enemy  and  made  possible  the  progress  of  allied  armies 
now  gloriously  advancing  toward  the  final  victory  that  will 
save  the  civilization  of  the  world  to  future  generations.  It  is 
with  deep  emotion  that  today  we  of  the  American  Expedi 
tionary  Forces  offer  our  homage  to  those  brave  men,  both 
the  living  and  the  dead,  and  again  confirm  our  devotion  to 
their  cause  and  again  declare  it  to  be  our  fixed  purpose  that 
their  sacrifice  shall  not  have  been  in  vain." 

(Signed)     "PERSHING."     (Applause). 

The  next  message  is  from  Admiral  Sims:  (Applause.) 

"Today  we  rejoice  in  the  celebration  of  two  momentous 
events  in  our  world's  history,  the  birth  of  General  Lafayette, 
September  6,  1757,  and  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  Battle 
of  the  Marne,  which  was  so  brilliantly  'fought  September  6, 
1914.  Those  two  events  have  not  only  co-related  us  to  date, 
but  more  so  in  the  effect  upon  the  happiness  of  our  two  great 
countries. 

"General  Lafayette,  true  general  and  talented  officer, 
through  the  ceaseless  vigil  at  Valley  Forge  and  the  trying 
times  to  come,  lent  his  priceless  energy  and  ability  without 
stint  and  from  those  beginnings  have  sprung  our  great  de 
mocracy,  whose  might,  desire  and  willingness  are  today  di- 

• ' '     24 


Reading  of  Messages  by  Mr.  Leon 

rectcd  toward  securing  for  France  the  return  of  these  same 
blessings. 

"Had  not  the  victorious  Battle  of  the  Marne  been  fought 
no  one  can  say  to  what  extent  we  could  have  succored  or 
aided  France,  but  because  it  was  a  victory,  because  it  stopped, 
then  turned  back,  the  invading  hordes,  we  today  are  able  to 
take  our  part. 

"Let  us  not  forget  that  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  owe 
France,  nor  falter  in  our  determination  to  assure  to  her  the 
return  of  her  territory  and  the  outlook  of  continuing  and 
prosperous  peace. 

"While  the  world  has  France,  the  world  will  have  liberty." 
(Signed)  SIMS."  (Applause). 

The  next  message  is  from  Ambassador  Sharp,  our  Ambassador 
to  France,  who  was  our  guest  at  the  celebration  held  in  1916: 

The  incomparable  courage  and  genius  of  the  French 
Army  was  never  more  splendid  than  during  these  momentous 
days.  We  have  added  new  lustre  to  the  immortal  fame  of  the 
battlefields  of  the  Marne.  A  ruthless  foe  has  made  his  last 
advance,  and,  except  the  wanton  destruction  in  his  retreat, 
has  burned  and  plundered  his  last  village  on  French  soil. 
From  today  all  his  steps,  recently  so  accelerated  by  the  help 
of  the  gallant  British  troops  and  our  own  brave  American 
boys,  will  be  directed  toward  the  Fatherland.  The  great 
generals  of  the  allied  armies  have  so  decreed,  and  their  de 
cision  is  inexorable." 

(Signed)     SHARP."     (Applause). 

The  following  message  was  received  from  Sir  David  Beatty, 
Admiral  of  the  British  Grand  Fleet,  too  late  to  be  read;  the  an 
nouncement  that  it  was  on  the  way  was  greated  with  applause : 

"Grand  Fleet  desires  you  to  express  its  pride  and  satis 
faction  at  being  so  closely  associated  with  American  Fleet 
whose  officers  and  men  are  bound  to  us  by  ties  of  closest 
comradeship.  They  typify  spirit  in  which  American  nation 
has  rallied  to  the  cause  of  right  and  justice.  Our  union  is  a 
happy  augury  for  peace  of  world." 

(Signed)     "BEATTY." 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  Among  the  spiritual  and  literary  products  of 
:this  war,  nothing  so  far  has  been  more  striking  than  the  number  of 

25 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Y.ork — Principal  Exercises 

very  beautiful  poems  to  which  this  struggle  has  given  rise.  The 
poets  have  done  their  full  duty  in  the  war  by  services  as  well  as  with 
their  pens,  from  the  days  of  Rupert  Brooke  down  to  the  latest  loss 
Which  literature  has  sustained  in  the  death  of  Sergeant  Joyce  Kilmer, 
of  the  i65th  United  States  Infantry.  The  Committee  upon  this  occa 
sion  have  been  able  to  obtain  for  you  a  distinguished  writer  and 
loyal  American,  who  has  made  the  great  sacrifice  of  his  heart's 
blood  for  his  country, — Mr.  John  Jay  Chapman.  (Applause). 

Mr.  John  J.  Chapman. 

Again  we  gather  here, 

Beneath  the  aegis  of  a  sacred  name, 

To  hold  our  feast,  and  with  our  altar-flame 

Signal  the  passage  of  the  furtive  year. 

Alas,  how  small  our  gifts,  how  light  appear 

Our  vows,  our  songs,  the  words  that  we  declaim! 

While  o'er  the  tortured  nations  from  afar 

Rolls  the  hot  breath  of  universal  war. 

Yet  must  I  speak :    Again  we  dedicate 
Ourselves,  our  children  and  our  country's  fame 
To  Her  from  whom  our  earliest  welcome  came. 

Once  more — but  now  in  arms — we  kneel, 

Like  Joan  of  Arc  in  shining  steel 

A  Sword  to  consecrate, 

To  France,  and  to  the  Cause  that  makes  her  great  ! 
And  even  while  we  hold  our  holiday, 
The  Allied  ranks  in  fierce  array 
Press  on  the  foe,  like  huntsmen  on  the  prey. 
The  Wild  Boar  of  the  North  is  brought  to  bay ! 

Hark,  did  you  hear  the  triumph  in  the  air? 
Horns  and  halloos — a  universal   shout. 
The  hunters  have  him ;  he  has  turned  about ; 
The  Teuton  beast  is  lurching  towards  his  laii . 
The  boar  is  sorely  wounded ;  but  beware ! 
Strike,  when  you  strike,  to  kill !     For  in  his  eye 
Cunning  and  Hatred  shine,  a  ghastly  pair. 
Which  of  these  passions  is  the  last  to  die. 
When  both  are  linked  together  by  despair  ? 

'Tis  not  alone  the  havoc ;  but  his  breath 
Spreads  desecration  o'er  mankind. 

26 


Poem  by  Mr.  John  J.  Chapman 
Address  by  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt 

licware  lest  in  his  gasp  of  death 
The  German  leave  behind 
A  sting  to  hurt  the  heart  of  man 
Worse  than  his  living  fury  can — 
The  poison  of  his  mind.     (Applause). 

When  shall  the  shepherd  sup  in  peace  once  more, 

Or  tend  his  trellis  unafraid 

While  children  play  about  the  farmhouse  door, 

Or  cows  at  even'  watch  the  river 

Beneath  the  elm-tree's  shade? 

Is  heart's  ease  gone  forever? 

Must  there  be  newer  anguish,  endless  strife? 

Ah,  huntsman  draw  thy  knife 

To  kill  the  creature  at  the  core ! 

Plunge  thy  bright  truncheon  and  restore 

The  bloom  to  human  life.     (Applause). 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  On  anv  occasion  which  the  speaker  who  is 
about  to  address  you  has  honored  by  his  presence,  it  has  become  of 
international  importance.  It  is  particularly  fortunate  for  us  all 
that  the  Committee  has  been  able  to  secure  his  presence,  and  he  has 
promised  to  speak  at  a  time  when  conditions  are  such  that  construc 
tive  statesmanship  and  a  clear  prophetic  vision  of  the  future  are 
necessary  for  the  complete  accomplishment  of  our  aims.  An  ideal 
American,  as  he  is  in  word  and  action,  he  has  been  able  to  com 
municate  those  same  sentiments  to  the  members  of  his  family,  and 
we  deem  him  and  his  sons  the  picture  of  devotion  and  patriotic 
ardor  that  is  offered,  such  as  few  families  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  presenting  at  any  time  for  the  admiration  of  the  world.  I  pre 
sent  to  you,  as  the  speaker  of  the  day,  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 
(Applause). 

Address  by  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  Ambassador,  guests  from  the  Allied  nations 
to  whom  we  owe  so  much,  and  you,  men  and  women  of  New  York, 
my  fellow  citizens :  I  felt  a  great  privilege  as  well  as  a  duty  in 
accepting  the  invitation  to  speak  here  today,  especially,  Mr.  Chair 
man,  when  I  knew  that  you  were  to  be  the  Chairman.  (Applause.) 

27 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Y. or k— Principal  Exercises 

For  I  wish  to  take  this  opportunity  of  saying  that  from  the  outset 
of  the  great  war  you  have  never  faltered  in  your  conviction  as  to 
where  the  right  stood  and  as  to  the  duty  of  this  nation.  (Applause.) 
I  am  about  to  say  that  after  listening  to  your  remarks  I  really  might 
just  as  well  tear  up  my  speech  and  say  ditto  in  just  a  word. 

Of  course,  Lafayette  Day  commemorates  the  services  rendered 
to  America  in  the  Revolution  by  France.  (Applause.)  I  wish  to 
insist  with  all  possible  emphasis  that  in  the  present  war  France, 
England,  Italy,  all  the  Allies,  have  rendered  us  similar  services. 
The  French  at  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  four  years  ago,  and  at  Ver 
dun,  and  the  British  at  Ypres,  in  short  the  French,  the  English,  the 
Italians,  the  Belgians,  the  Serbians — all  the  Allies  were  fighting  our 
battles  exactly  as  much  as  they  were  fighting  their  own.  (Applause.) 
Our  army  on  the  other  side  is  now  repaying  in  part  our  debt,  and 
next  year,  we  have  every  reason  to  hope,  and  we  must  insist  that  the 
fighting  army  in  France  from  the  United  States  shall  surpass 
in  numbers  the  fighting  army  in  France  of  either  France  or 
Britain.  I  hope  they  may  smash  the  Hun  as  hard.  It  is  now 
time,  and  it  has  long  been  time,  for  America  to  bear  her  full  share 
cf  the  common  burden,  the  burden  borne  by  all  the  Allies  in  the 
great  fight  for  Liberty  and  for  Justice.  (Applause). 

We  must  win  this  war  as  speedily  as  possible.  But  we  must  set 
ourselves  to  fight  it  through  no  matter  how  long  it  takes  (Ap 
plause),  with  the  resolute  purpose  and  determination  to  accept  no 
peace  until,  no  matter  at  what  cost,  we  win  the  peace  of  over 
whelming  victory.  (Applause.) 

Let  me  make  an  interpolation.  I  every  now  and  then  meet  one 
of  those  nice  gentry  in  whom  softness  of  heart  has  spread  to  the 
head,  who  say,  "How  can  we  guarantee  that  everybody  will  love 
one  another  at  the  end  of  the  war?"  The  first  step  in  guaranteeing 
it  is  to  knock  Germany  out — that  will  guarantee  it.  (Applause). 
The  peace  that  we  win  must  guarantee  full  reparation  as  you  have 
said,  Mr.  Chairman,  for  the  awful  cost  of  life  and  treasure  which 
the  Prussianized  Germany  of  the  Hohenzollerns  has  inflicted  on  the 
entire  world;  and  this  reparation  must  take  the  form  of  action  that 
will  render  it  impossible  for  Germany  to  repeat  her  collossal  wrong 
doing. 

Germany  has  been  able  to  wage  this  fight  for  world  domination 

28 


Address  by  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt 

because  she  has  subdued  to  her  purpose  her  vassal  allies,  Austria, 
Turkey  and  Bulgaria.  Serbia  and  Roumania  must  have  restored  to 
them  what  Bulgaria  has  taken  from  them.  (Applause.)  The  Aus 
trian  and  Turkish  Empires  must  both  be  broken  up,  all  the  subject 
peoples  liberated  and  the  Turk  driven  from  Europe.  (Applause). 
We  do  not  intend  that  German  or  Magyar  should  be  wronged  by 
others  or  oppressed  by  others,  but  neither  do  we  intend  that  they 
shall  oppress  and  domineer  over  others.  France,  as  you  have  said, 
Mr.  Chairman,  must  receive  back  Alsace  and  Lorraine.  (Great  ap 
plause.)  We  cannot  go  into  any  peace  conference  where  everybody 
did  not  accept  that  before  we  entered  it.  Belgium  must  be  restored 
and  indemnified.  (Applause.)  Italian  Austria  must  be  restored  to 
Italy,  and  Roumanian  Hungary  to  Roumania.  The  heroic  Czecho 
slovaks  must  be  made  into  an  independent  commonwealth,  and  the 
southern  Slavs  must  be  united  in  a  great  Jugo-Slav  commonwealth. 
Poland  as  a  genuinely  independent  commonwealth  must  receive  back 
Austrian  and  Prussian  Poland,  as  well  as  Russian  Poland,  and  have 
her  coast-line  on  the  Baltic.  Lithuania,  Livonia  and  Finland  and 
the  Baltic  Provinces  must  be  guaranteed  their  freedom  and  inde 
pendence,  and  when  I  speak  of  independence,  I  mean  independence 
of  Germany  as  well  as  of  Russia,  and  no  part  of  the  ancient  Empire 
of  Russia  must  be  left  under  the  German  yoke,  or  subject  in  any 
way  to  German  influence,  even  the  slightest.  Northern  Schleswig 
should  go  back  to  the  Danes.  Britain  and  Japan  should  keep  the 
colonies  they  have  conquered.  Armenia  must  be  free.  Palestine 
made  a  Jewish  state  and  the  Syrian  Christians  liberated. 

It  is  sometimes  announced  that  part  of  the  peace  agreement  must 
be  a  League  of  Nations  which  will  avert  all  war  for  the  future  and 
put  a  stop  to  the  need  of  this  nation  preparing  its  own  strength 
for  its  own  defense.  Many  of  the  adherents  of  this  idea  grandilo 
quently  assert  that  they  intend  to  supplant  nationalism  by  inter 
nationalism. 

In  deciding  upon  proposals  of  this  nature  it  behooves  our  people 
1o  remember  that  competitive  rhetoric  is  a  poor  substitute  for  the 
habit  of  resolutely  looking  facts  in  the  face.  Patriotism  stands  in 
national  matters  as  love  of  family  does  in  private  life.  (Applause). 
Nationalism  corresponds  to  the  love  a  man  bears  for  his  wife  and 
children.  Internationalism  corresponds .  to  the  feeling  he  has  for 

29 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

his  neighbors  generally.  The  sound  nationalist  is  the  only  type  of 
really  helpful  internationalist  (Applause),  precisely  as  in  private 
relations  it  is  the  man  who  is  most  devoted  to  his  own  wife  and 
children  who  is  apt  in  the  long  run  to  be  the  most  satisfactory 
neighbor.  (Applause).  If  I  met  a  new  neighbor  and  he  told  me 
he  loved  me  as  much  as  he  did  his  own  family,  I'd  watch  him. 
I  (Laughter).  To  substitute  internationalism  for  nationalism  means 
to  do  away  with  patriotism,  and  is  as  vicious  and  as  profoundly 
demoralizing  as  to  put  promiscuous  devotion  to  all  other  persons  in 
the  place  of  steadfast  devotion  to  a  man's  own  family.  Either 
effort  means  the  atrophy  of  robust  morality.  The  men  in  this  coun 
try  who  have  stood  the  staunchest  for  the  performance  of  inter 
national  duty  are  the  men  who  have  most  keenly  felt  nationalism 
and  Americanism  in  their  blood,  in  their  veins.  (Applause).  The 
.man  who  loves  another  nation  as  much  as  he  loves  his  own,  un 
pleasantly  resembles  the  over-affectionate  individual  who  loves  other 
women  as  much  as  his  own  wife.  (Laughter.)  The  r»an  who  prac 
tices  either  is  just  as  worthless  a  creature  as  the  other  and  the  pro 
fessional  pacifist  is  as  undesirable  a  citizen  as  the  professional  inter- 
nationalist.  The  American  pacifist  has  in  the  actual  fact  shown 
himself  to  be  the  tool  and  ally  of  the  German  militarist.  (Applause.) 
They  were  screeching  for  peace  three  years  ago  and  telling  us  that 
we  must  not  prepare,  because  preparation  invited  war,  and  they  were 
playing  the  game  of  the  alien  militarist — were  playing  the  game  of 
the  men  who  by  force  of  arms  intended  to  win  dominion  over  all 
the  peace-loving  nations  of  mankind.  (Applause).  The  profes 
sional  internationalist  is  a  man  who  under  a  pretense  of  diffuse  at 
tachment  for  everybody  hides  the  fact  that  in  reality  he  is  incapable 
of  doing  his  duty  by  anybody. 

We  Americans  should  abhor  all  wrongdoing  to  other  nations.  We 
ought  always  to  act  fairly  and  generously  by  other  nations.  We  ought 
always  to  act  fairly  and  generously  by  all  other  nations,  and  in  inter 
national  matters  I  hold  that  we  should  have  the  same  standard  of 
i  morality  that  we  have  in  private  matter*.     But  we  must  remember 
I  that  our  first  duty  is  to  be  loyal  and  patriotic  citizens  of  our  own 
^Nation,  of  America .    These  two  facts  should  always  be  in  our  minds 
in  dealing  with  any  proposal  for  a  League  of  Nations.    Bv  all  means 
let  us  be  loyal  to  great  ideals.    But  let  us  remember  that  unless  we 

30 


Address  by  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt 

show  common  sense  in  action,  loyalty  in  speech  will  amount  to  con 
siderably  less  than  nothing. 

Test  the  proposed  future  League  of  Nations  so  far  as  concerns 
proposals  to  disarm  and  to  trust  to  anything  except  our  own 
strength  for  our  own  defense,  by  what  the  nations  are  actually  do 
ing  at  the  present  time.  Any  such  League  would  have  to  depend 
for  its  success  upon  the  adhesion  of  nine  nations  which  are 
actually  or  potentially  the  most  powerful  military  nations :  and 
these  nine  nations  include  Germany,  Austria,  Turkey  and  Russia. 
The  first  three  have  recently  and  repeatedly  violated,  and  are  now 
actively  and  continuously  violating  not  only  every  treaty  but  every 
rule  of  civilized  warfare  and  of  international  good  faith. 

Russia  played  a  heroic  part  for  the  first  three  years  of  the  war 
(during  the  first  two  and  a  half  years  her  conduct  was  in  shining 
contrast  to  ours).  But  during  the  last  year  Russia,  under  the  domin 
ion  of  the  Bolshevists,  has  betrayed  her  Allies,  has  become  the  tool  of 
the  German  autocracy,  and  has  shown  such  utter  disregard  of  her 
national  honor  and  plighted  word  and  her  international  duties  that 
she  is  now  in  external  affairs  the  passive  tool  and  ally  of  her  brutal 
conqueror,  Germany.  (Applause.) 

Germany  stands  among  nations  as  a  man-eating  wild  beast  I 
stands,  and  Russia  as  an  infectious  plague.  What  earthly  use  is  it' 
to  pretend  that  the  safety  of  the  world  would  be  secured  by  a 
League  in  which  these  four  nations  under  the  Hohenzollerns  and  the 
Hapsburg,  under  the  Sultan  and  the  Bolshevists  would  be  among 
the  nine  leading  partners?  Long  years  must  pass  before  we  can 
again  trust  any  promises  these  four  nations  make. 

As  regards  two  of  them  I  hope  they  won't  be  there  to  make  any 
promise.  I  hope  Germany  will  be  in  such  a  condition  that  we  won't 
care  whether  it  makes  a  promise  or  not.  (Laughter.)  Any  treaty 
of  any  kind  or  sort  which  we  make  with  them  should  be  made  with 
the  full  understanding  that  they  will  cynically  repudiate  it  when 
ever  they  think  it  is  to  their  interest  to  do  so.  Therefore,  unless  our 
folly  is  such  that  it  will  not  depart  from  us  until  we  are  brayed  in 
a  mortar,  let  us  remember  that  any  such  treaty  will  be  worthless 
unless  our  own  prepared  strength  renders  it  unsafe  to  break  it. 

After  this  war  the  wrongdoers  will  be  so  punished  and  ex 
hausted  that  they  may  for  a  number  of  years  wish  to  keep  the  peace. 

31 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

But  the  surest  way  to  make  them  keep  the  peace  in  the  future  is  to 
punish  them  heavily  now.  And  doirt  forget  that  China  is  now  use 
less  as  a  prop  to  a  League  of  Peace  simply  because  she  lacks  effec- 
|(ive  military  strength  for  her  own  defense. 

Again  I  wish  to  make  an  interpolation.  If  we  had  not  gone  into 
this  war,  when  the  war  ended  we  would  have  been  as  helpless  as 
jellyfish  before  even  the  weakest  of  the  combatant  powers,  and  we 
would  have  lost  our  own  self-respect  and  the  respect  of  every  other 
nation,  great  or  small.  That  would  have  been  the  penalty  we  wrould 
have  paid.  Thank  heavens  we  went  in  in  time,  quite  near  the  elev 
enth  hour,  but  it  was  not  the  twelfth.  (Applause.)  The  one  sure 
way  to  make  these  wrongdoers  desirous  of  keeping  the  peace  in  the 
future  is  to  punish  them  heavily  now  for  having  broken  it.  (Ap- 
^  lause. ) 

IxK>k  across  the  Pacific!  China  is  not  an  aggressive  power,  she 
is  disarmed,  and  she  is  not  a  valuable  prop  to  a  League  of  Nations. 
No  nation  can  help  another  unless  it  can  help  itself.  If  France 
had  been  disarmed  and  helpless  when  Germany  treated  the  treaties 
that  protected  Belgium  as  scraps  of  paper — if  France  had  been  dis 
armed  and  helpless,  if  she  would  have  listened  to  the  teachings  of 
the  pacifists  and  internationalists,  we  in  this  Chamber  now  would 
hold  this  meeting  only  if  men  in  spiked  helmets  permitted  us  to 
do  so.  Let  us  support  any  reasonable  plan,  whether  in  the  form  of 
?.  League  of  Nations  or  in  any  other  shape,  which  bids  fair  to  lessen 
the  probable  number  of  future  wars  and  to  limit  their  scope.  But 
let  us  laugh  out  of  court  any  assertion  that  any  such  plan  will 
guarantee  peace  and  safety  to  the  foolish,  weak  or  timid  creatures 
v/iio  have  not  the  will  and  the  power  to  prepare  for  their  own  de 
fense.  [Support  any  such  plan  which  is  honest  and  reasonable.  But 
support  it  as  an  addition  to,  and  never  as  a  substitute  for,  the  policy 
of  preparing  our  own  strength  for  our  own  defense.  To  follow 
any  other  course  would  turn  this  country  into  the  China  of  the 
Occident.  We  cannot  guarantee  for  ourselves  or  our  children  peace 
without  effort  or  safety  without  service  and  sacrifice.  We  must 
prepare  both  our  souls  and  our  bodies,  in  virile  fashion,  alike  to 
secure  justice  for  ourselves  and  to  do  justice  to  others.  Only  thus 
can  we  secure  our  own  national  self-respect.  Only  thus  can  we 

32 


Address  by  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt 

secure  the  respect  of  other  nations  and  the  power  to  aid  them  when 
they  seek  to  do  well. 

In  sura  then  I  shall  be  delighted  to  support  the  movement  for  a 
League  to  enforce  i'eace,  or  lor  a  League  of  Nations,  if  it  is 
developed  as  a  supplement  to  and  not  a  substitute  for  the  prepara- 
iion  of  our  own  strength,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  intense  Ameri 
canism  which  will  make  us  able  to  use  that  strength  for  ourselves 
and  for  the  well  behaved  peoples  of  the  world.  (Applause.)  And 
1  hold  it,  the  duty  of  self-defense  is  a  duty  that  no  man  ought  to 
be  permitted  to  shirk.  If  a  man  is  too  conscientious  to  fight  for  the 
country,  he  is  too  conscientious  to  see  any  good  in  the  country. 
(Applause.)  Therefore,  let  us  base  the  defense,  the  defense  of  this 
nation,  not  on  a  small  professional  class  of  men  trained  to  fight  while 
ihe  rest  of  the  people  are  taught  to  think  of  money  getting  as  their 
only  serious  pursuit,  and  sentimentality  as  a  form  of  indulgence  to 
offset  the  material  aid  of  the  others ;  let  us  introduce  the  principle  of 
universal  military  training  and  universal  service  in  this  country  (Ap 
plause) — the  principle  as  practised  in  Switzerland,  modified  of 
course  both  along  the  lines  indicated  in  Australia,  and  in  accordance 
with  our  own  needs.  Let  us  accept  the  theory  that  a  democracy  can 
only  be  justified  if  exactly  as  each  man  receives  certain  privileges,  Si> 
he  pays  for  them  by  the  performance  of  certain  essential  and  vital 
duties.  Let  us  cultivate  our  moral  sense,  so  that  we  shall  abhor  doing 
any  international  wrong,  exactly  as  an  honorable  private  man,  no 
matter  how  strong,  abhors  the  thought  of  wronging  another  man  in 
private  life.  But  let  us  prepare  our  strength  so  that  never  again  shall 
we  have  to  sit  by  and  see  the  rights  of  mankind  jeopardized  by  brutal 
wrongdoers  and  saved  by  the  valor  of  other  nations  to  whose  strength 
and  to  whose  aid  we  only  came  after  the  loss  in  blood  had  been  such 
as  never  before  in  the  history  of  the  world,  had  ever  been  seen  in  any 
war.  (Applause.) 

There  will  be  no  taint  of  Prussian  militarism  in  such  a  system. 
It  will  merely  mean  the  acceptance  by  democracy  of  the  principle 
that  it  must  possess  the  ability  to  fight  for  self-defense  so  as  to 
secure  the  continuance  of  liberty,  of  law  and  of  order  within  its 
own  limits,  and  so  far  as  it  can,  to  extend  to  other  nations  the 
right  that  it  has  itself. 

We  come  here  today  to  celebrate  the  Birthday   of  Lafayette. 

33 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

He  did  not  come  here  with  an  olive  branch ;  he  came  with  a  sword. 
We  come  here  today  to  celebrate  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  Battle 
of  the  Marne.  A  distinguished  Bishop,  an  American  Bishop,  was 
quoted  not  very  many  months  ago — I  trust  wrongly — as  saying  that 
the  way  to  avoid  a  war  was  not  to  fight.  If  four  years  ago  at  the 
Marne  the  soldiers  of  Joffre  had  acted  on  that  principle,  the  whole 
world  would  have  been  under  Prussian  thraldom  at  this  moment. 
Let  us  set  our  faces  toward  justice;  let  us  prize  peace  as  the  hand 
maiden  of  justice;  let  us  stand  for  right  within  our  own  borders; 
let  us  recognize  our  duty  to  make  the  world  a  little  better  place 
for  all  liberty-loving  and  well-behaving  nations  in  the  future ;  and 
let  us  remember  that  today  we  must  show  ourselves  to  possess  both 
strength  and  courage,  and  that  is  the  strength  which  is  effective, 
the  courage  which  makes  itself  felt,  which  are  evidenced  by  the  cool, 
far-sighted  and  resolute  purpose  of  a  free  people  to  prepare  in  ad 
vance  its  own  strength  for  its  own  self-defense  and  for  the  cause 
of  justice  among  the  peoples  of  mankind.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  It  was  one  of  the  fortunate  episodes  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  that  this  struggling  Republic  was  represented 
at  the  court  of  France  by  one  who  was  not  merely  a  lover  of  his 
kind,  but  a  great  literary  genius  and  philosopher,  and  one  as  well 
whose  knowledge  of  human  nature,  whose  suavity  of  manner  and 
force  of  character  did  so  much  for  the  early  recognition  of  the 
rights  of  the  Colonies  and  the  grant  of  aid  to  them.  It  was  said 
of  Benjamin  Franklin  while  representing  America  at  the  French 
Court  that  he  was  worth  to  the  Colonies  more  than  an  army  in  the 
field. 

It  has  been  the  great  good  fortune  of  the  French  Republic  to  have 
been  represented  during  these  critical  four  years  by  one  who  was 
not  merely  a  trained  diplomat  but  a  man  of  the  highest  literary  gifts, 
which  had  led  him  to  an  appreciation,  not  only  of  the  beauties  of  the 
writings  of  England  but  of  the  character  of  her  people  and  rulers 
besides.  The  revelations  of  the  past  year  have  given  us  a  clearer 
idea  of  the  difficulties  with  which  he  struggled  and  which  must  have 
made  his  lot  at  times  hard  indeed,  but  he  bore  these  plots  and  coun 
terplots  from  the  outset  without  a  word  of  complaint.  Courteous, 
dignified,  suave,  respectful,  he  has  given  us  during  these  trying 
days,  both  before  and  after  the  entry  of  this  nation  into  the  war,  the 

34 


Speech  of  the  French  Ambassador 

greatest  possible  example  of  what  skilled  and  honest  diplomacy  can 
do  for  the  interests  of  a  free  people. 

I  take  pleasure  in  presenting  the  chief  guest  of  the  Lafay 
ette  Day  National  Committee,  his  Excellency,  the  French  Ambassa 
dor.  (Applause). 

SPEECH  OF  THE  FRENCH  AMBASSADOR. 

When  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  that  event  took  place 
which  we  are  commemorating  today,  the  name  of  Lafayette  was 
only  known  in  the  world  of  letters,  to  the  select  few  who  had  been 
able  to  enjoy  a  brief  novel  of  200  pages,  "La  Princesse  de  Cleves," 
written  by  one  who  bore  that  name  only  through  marriage. 

The  name  is  now  of  world-wide  renown,  a  magic  name  to  con 
jure  by ;  at  the  sound  of  which  only  great  and  noble  images  come 
to  the  mind,  the  image  of  Washington,  the  souvenir  of  a  people 
who  wanted  to  be  free,  reached  freedom  and  is  the  American  Re 
public  of  today,  the  remembrance  of  a  long  life  devoted  from  the 
earliest  to  the  last  years  to  the  cause  of  independence. 

That  magic  name  has  once  more  brought  us  together,  celebra 
tions  are  held  in  a  number  of  cities,  the  greatest  in  the  land  take 
part  in  them.  President  Wilson  does  so  in  Washington ;  President 
Poincare  of  France  has  sent  us  a  message;  Justice  Dowling  ad 
mired  and  respected  by  all,  irrespective  of  party,  presides  over  our 
meeting;  he  has  just  coupled  my  name  with  one  so  famous  and  so 
sacred  that  I  blushed  for  my  lack  of  deserts ;  and  if  you  did  not 
see  the  color,  take  it  for  granted  that  it  was  an  inward  blush,  of 
deepest  hue.  A  former  President  of  the  United  States  has  come, 
the  type  of  American  f orcef ulness  and  generosity ;  a  poet,  a  thinker, 
a  writer  has  come  too,  who  like  the  former  President  has  given  to 
the  world  and  to  the  good  cause,  besides  his  writings,  a  beloved  son. 
Both  belong  of  right  to  that  association  we  have  in  France  of  the 
countless  fathers  and  mothers  who  have  lost  a  son  in  the  war,  and 
who,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  sent  here  what  is  perhaps  the  most 
memorable  of  all  testimonials  that  ever  came  from  France  for  your 
nation's  birthday.  They  said  : 

"The  union  of  the  fathers  and  mothers  whose  sons  have  fallen 

35 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

for  France,  on  this  day,  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the  free 
and  noble  American  Nation,  wishes  to  send,  as  the  most  touching 
tribute  that  exists,  the  homage  of  the  gratitude  of  jthe  dead  who 
have  fallen  during  the  last  four  years  for  the  world's  sake. 

"While  on  the  graves  where  they  await  victory  resound  the 
footsteps  of  the  young  and  proud  American  legions,  our  dead  heroes 
are  thrilled  with  hope  and  faith.  They  feel  that,  in  common  with 
their  brothers  in  arms  of  all  the  Allied  Nations,  America's  soldiers 
are  as  invincible  as  the  ideal  for  which  they  fight.  And  they  see 
before  them,  as  clear  and  pure  as  this  ideal,  the  glorious  day  of  the 
triumph  of  independence  and  justice,  dawning  in  the  folds  of  the 
Star-Spangled  Banner."  (Applause). 

Since  today's  anniversary  was  celebrated  last  year,  many  events 
have  taken  place,  the  chief  one  being  the  ever-growing  part  played 
by  this  nation,  with  the  firmest  will  to  win,  in  the  world  conflict. 
Anything  that  is  asked  of  it  is  granted  at  once :  be  it  subscription  to 
immense  loans,  the  giving  up  of  the  accustomed  food,  or  the  accus 
tomed  auto  ride  on  Sunday,  the  acceptance  of  new  taxation  (4 
billion  dollars  is  the  report),  or  the  increase  of  the  draft  age,  which 
will  include  boys  of  18  and  men  of  45.  And  this  increase  has  just 
come  to  pass"  owing  to  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  two  Houses.  With 
their  thousands  of  spies,  and  their  million  dollars  for  what  they 
were  pleased  to  call  propaganda  (which  included  murder),  the  Ger 
mans  had  no  idea  that  this  could  be.  There  was  one  spot  opened 
to  us  all,  but  in  which  German  spies  could  not  pry,  that  was  the 
American  heart. 

One  of  the  best  French  cartoons  published  during  the  war  ap 
peared  recently,  the  work  of  Abel  Faivre.  It  represents  the  Kaiser 
staggered  at  the  sight  of  an  immense  host  arriving  in  the  distance. 
Before  him  stands  an  armed  angel  whose  open  wings  show  stars  in 
their  upper  part,  while  the  long  feathers  below  simulate  stripes. 
Says  the  Kaiser :  "But  what  is  the  fleet  which  can  have  carried  over 
the  seas  this  numberless  army?  The  Angel  answers  "The  Lusi- 
tania."  (Applause). 

A  valiant  army,  if  any,  the  praise  of  which  is  on  every  lip,  a 
youthful,  good-natured,  cheery  army,  whose  every  soldier  is  wel 
come  in  the  castle  and  in  the  hut,  and  is  offered  just  as  heartily  the 
best  cake  or  the  last  crust ;  an  immense  army  that  ceaselessly  grows ; 


Speech  of  the  French  Ambassador 

for  month  after  month  you  send  over  to  France  double  the  number 
of  men  Napoleon  had  at  Waterloo.  Many  French  names  written 
on  the  map  recall  our  presence  here  at  the  time  of  your  fight  for  in 
dependence,  chief  among  them  that  of  Lafayette.  Many  American 
names  will,  in  after  time,  recall  the  splendid  part  you  are  taking  in 
the  deliverance  of  France  and  of  the  world.  The  name  of  Presi 
dent  Wilson  is  already  written  there,  and  one  of  our  woods  which 
used  to  be  called  Belleau  Wood,  will  be  known  henceforth  as  the 
"Bois  de  la  Brigade  de  Marine,"  having  been  freed  by  your  marines 
in  the  Battle  of  Chateau  Thierry.  (Applause). 

The  enemy  is  doomed.  The  day  is  unknown ;  the  fact  is  certain. 
The  enemy  feels  anxious ;  when  he  feels  anxious,  he  raises  his 
eyes  to  heaven,  deplores  the  slaughter,  complains  of  his  being 
friendless  and  lonely,  and  wonders  at  the  heartlessness  of  us  who 
will  not  desist ;  he  babbles  of  peace.  FalstafT,  on  his  deathbed,  was, 
as  you  know,  "babbling  of  green  fields."  They  think  they  can  lure 
us,  having  lured  others ;  but  they  are  mistaken,  our  peoples  know 
how  to  read;  they  can  even  read  between  the  lines.  (Applause.) 

Who  could  believe  that  it  is  really  a  German  who  talks  thus : 
"The  time  must  come  when  between  peoples  and  peoples  something 
like  an  impulse  of  confidence  shall  germinate ;  when  oppressed  hu 
man  nature  shall  revolt  against  false  doctrines,  threatening  to  suf 
focate  the  innermost  human  affinities." 

Yes,  it  is  a  German  who  is  piping  thus,  an  exalted  one,  but  an 
anxious  one.  It  is  Dr.  Solf,  their  Minister  of  Colonies  (a  man  of 
leisure  he  must  be  just  now)  ;  thus  was  he  speaking  not  more  than 
a  fortnight  ago.  He  was  so  good  as  to  add :  "We  do  not  intend  to 
retain  Belgium  in  any  form  whatever."  But  it  is  a  fact  that  for 
what  Germans  intend  or  do  not  intend  on  that  score,  we  do  not 
care.  Noble  Belgium  shall  owe  nothing  to  her  unspeakable  tyrants. 
( Applause. ) 

In  such  cases,  Germans  rarely  omit  to  refer  to  their  grand  offer 
to  the  Entente  Powers  on  December  12,  1916,  when  they  informed 
the  world  that  "the  four  Allied  Powers  (that  is  themselves)  pro 
posed  to  enter  forthwith  into  peace  negotiations,"  saying  all  the  pos 
sible  good  of  the  "propositions  which  they  brought  forward."  What 
propositions  ?  Giving  the  measure  of  their  sincerity,  they  refused 
to  tell.  When  the  President  of  the  United  States -asked  us  and 

37 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Principal  Exercises 

them  for  positive  statements,  we  gave  ours  (January  10,  1917), 
but  the  Germans  simply  referred  to  their  previous  indeterminate 
offer  which  they  had,  however,  embellished  thus  in  a  note  to  the 
Pope:  "Europe,  which  formerly  was  devoted  to  the  propagation  of 
religion  and  civilization,  which  was  trying  to  find  solutions  for 
social  problems  and  was  the  home  of  science  and  art  and  all  peace: 
ful  labor,  now  resembles  an  immense  \var  camp  in  which  the 
achievements  of  many  decades  are  doomed  to  annihilation." 

This  from  the  very  men  who  destroyed  Rheims  and  Louvain, 
for  the  pleasure  of  it,  and  who,  as  Ambassador  Morgenthau  has 
shown  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  had  determined  upon  war 
weeks  before  the  Austrian  Crown  Prince  had  been  assassinated 
by  an  Austrian  subject.  That  death  came  opportunely  for  them; 
if  it  had  not  come,  something  else  would  have  been  found.  The 
Serbs  would  have  been  told,  just  as  we  were,  that  they  had  bom 
barded  Nuremberg;  any  fairy  tale  would  have  been  good  enough. 
But  now  the  enemy  babbles  of  green  fields. 

We  are,  however,  more  diffident  than  ever,  for  we  are  no 
longer  reduced  to  suppositions,  probable  as  those  were,  concern 
ing  the  kind  of  terms  they  intended  to  propose.  They  have  signed, 
in  the  course  of  the  present  year,  a  series  of  peace  treaties  so  that 
any  one  can  judge:  treaties  with  Ukraine,  Bolshevik  Russia,  Fin 
land,  Roumania  (February  9,  March  3,  March  7,  May  6). 

The  animus  inspiring  Germany  while  signing  those  deeds  is 
thus  described  by  "green  fields"  Dr.  Solf :  Germany  was  deter 
mined  "not  to  bar  the  way  now  open  to  oppressed  peoples — the 
road  to  freedom,  order  and  mutual  tolerance." 

This  is  on  a  par  with  the  Kaiser's  own  words :  "The  sword 
has  been  forced  into  our  hands,"  after  he  had  declared  war  on 
everybody.  For  the  facts  are  there,  indisputable,  confessed  by 
the  Germans  themselves :  all  those  treaties  are  treaties  not  of 
freedom  but  of  bondage;  and  each  was  violated  at  once,  "scraps 
of  paper"  that  they  are,  so  as  to  make  them  worse  in  practice. 

All  the  world  now  knows  what  is  the  "re-inforced  protection" 
bestowed  by  the  Germans  on  Ukraine  and  how  the  "road  to  free 
dom"  open  to  that  countrv  led  her  oppressors  to  the  banks  of  the 
Black  Sea.  The  country  is  over-run  with  German  troops,  the 

38 


Speech  of  the  French  Ambassador 

peasants  have  risen  in  arms  against  them,  and  Ukrainians  now 
realize  what  is  meant  by  a  German  peace. 

The  treaty  of  Brest-Litvosk  (March  3)  took  from  Russia 
territories  vaster  than  Germany  and  Austria  put  together,  one- 
third  of  the  total  Russian  population,  one-half  of  the  total  mileage 
of  railways,  nine-tenths  of  the  total  coal  production,  three-fourths 
of  the  total  iron.  And  worse  perhaps  than  all  the  rest,  the  treaty 
prescribes  the  "orderly  return  to  Turkey"  of  Russian  Armenia  and 
neighbouring  provinces :  so  that  it  be  possible  to  continue,  until 
none  be  left,  the  orderly  slaughter  of  the  Christians  in  Armenia. 

Esthonia  and  Livonia  are  handed  by  the  same  treaty  to  "a 
German  police  force  until  order  in  the  state  is  restored,"  the  Ger 
mans,  of  course,  being  the  judges  thereof. 

Awaiting  a  German  King,  as  the  best  promoter  of  freedom, 
Finland  has  been  "liberated,"  which  consisted  in  placing  her  under 
a  German  protectorate.  By  Article  I  of  their  treaty  of  March  7, 
the  Finns  undertake  "not  to  grant  a  servitude  to  any  foreign  power 
without  having  first  come  to  an  understanding  with  Germany  in 
the  matter."  What  is  a  "servitude?"  The  Germans'  it  will  be  to 
say. 

And  what  can  be  thought  of  the  treaty  with  Roumania,  which 
gags  a  brave,  highly  civilized  nation,  tramples  her  under  foot,  sup 
presses  her  army,  transformed  into  a  mere  police  force,  takes  from 
her  the  total  of  her  sea  coasts,  introduces  into  each  of  her  Min 
istries  a  German  adviser,  gives  to  Austria  her  best  forests,  popula 
tion  included,  to  Germany  her  petroleum  resources,  imposes  a  mili 
tary  occupation  which  the  Germans  will  be  able  to  prolong  at  will ; 
places  ports  and  railways  in  the  hands  of  the  Germans.  In  case  of 
difficulties  about  petroleum,  there  will  be  arbitration :  we  think  v/e 
can  breathe;  let  us  not:  the  umpire  will  be  appointed  by  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Court  of  Leipzig. 

As  usual,  additional  decrees  or  arrangements  have  aggravated 
conditions  considered  too  lenient  by  the  worshippers  of  Odin.  One 
prescribes  obligatory  labor  in  the  occupied  territory,  for  all  males 
from  14  to  60,  under  penalties  including  five  years  of  prison  and 
even  death. 

Bessarabia  was,  by  the  same  treaty,  annexed  to  Roumania. 
Can  we  find  in  this  a  trace  of  generosity?  not  the  slightest;  it  is 

39 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Y.ork — Principal  Exercises 

merely  a  way  of  submitting  one  more  province  to  the  "regime"  of 
the  Roumanian  conditions. 

Were  we  right  or  were  we  not  when  we  declined  to  lay  down 
our  arms,  as  the  Russians  did,  before  discussing  the  terms  in  store 
for  them,  and  when  we  refused  to  walk  into  the  trap  laid  out 
for  us?  If  there  had  been  any  doubt,  it  would  have  been  removed 
by  a  casual  remark  of  the  German  delegates  at  Bukharest.  When 
the  Roumanians  expressed  their  horror  at  the  terms  proposed  to 
them,  the  Germans  coolly  answered  (and  that  I  do  know)  :  "They 
are  very  moderate  in  comparison  with  what  is  in  store  for  the 
Allies  after  the  German  victory. 

Very  probably  so  if  there  was  to  be  a  German  victory.  We 
cannot  forget  that  one  of  their  papers,  the  "Rhinish  and  West- 
phalian  Gazette"  once  gave  us  an  inkling,  unobjected  to  by  their 
censor,  of  what  they  really  contemplated.  It  fully  agrees  with  the 
dictum  of  the  delegates  at  Bukharest,  in  the  present  year.  ''Our 
ultimate  aim,"  that  worthy  sheet  had  said  in  November,  1916,  "is 
to  push  through  to  the  west  and  to  the  ocean.  Whatever  offers  re 
sistance  is  to  be  crushed.  *  *  *  What  the  victor  gets,  he 
holds.  *  *  *  Let  us  daily  tell  the  French  that  every  foot  we 
conquer  is  ours.  \Ve  need  not  waste  words  about  Belgium.  We 
need  access  to  the  Channel  and  we  need  Antwerp.  Whoever  wants 
Belgium  may  fetch  it  from  it." 

•  The  Germans  follow  their  leader  and  what  can  we  expect  of 
such  a  nation  following  such  a  leader?  Few  descriptions  of  him 
and  of  his  deeds  are  better  than  this  one,  written  by  a  man  of  his 
own  race: 

"Superb  in  his  attitudes,  casting  his  glances  right  and  left, 
the  very  movements  of  his  body  seem  to  reveal  his  pride  of  power. 
*  *  *  He  planned  the  conquest  of  the  universe.  ^  *  *  His  power 
has  risen  in  spite  of  all  justice  and  his  cruelty  has  had  such  a  success 
as  to  inspire  horror.  *  *  *  Where  can  we  find  the  cause  of  this 
immense  slaughter?  What  hatreds  can  have  incited  so  many  nations 
to  rush  one  against  the  other?  That  humanity  could  be  but  a  tool  in 
the  hands  of  a  Idng  has  been  made  evident  when  the  mad  folly  of 
one  man  caused  so  many  nations  to  be  given  over  to  carnage  and  the 
swelled  fantasy  of  a  monarch  destroyed  in  an  instant  what  it  had 
cost  nature  so  many  centuries  to  produce." 

40 


Speech  of  the  French  Ambassador 

Accurate  as  this  portrait  is,  the  Kaiser  did  not  actually  sit  for 
the  painter:  it  was  written  in  the  sixth  century  by  Jornandes,  the 
Goth,  who  had  for  his  original  Attila,  King  of  the  Huns. 

"I  am  God's  scourge,"  Attila  had  said.  "I  am  the  instrument  of 
the  Almighty.  I  am  his  sword,  his  representative.  Disaster  and 
death  to  all  those  who  resist  my  will,"  said  his  imitator  and  ad 
mirer,  the  Kaiser,  in  a  proclamation  to  his  army  in  the  East,  in 
December,  1914. 

In  the  Catalaunian  fields,  the  first  battle  of  the  Marne  was 
fought,  and  Attila  defeated,  A.  D.  451.  Those  fields  are  the  plains 
near  the  Marne  about  Chalons,  the  Catalaunum  of  those  days. 
The  second  battle  of  the  Marne  was  won  four  years  ago  to-day  by 
one  whom  you  saw  and  triumphantly  received  last  year,  Marshall 
Joffre:  and  it  becomes  more  and  more  certain,  as  time  passes,  that 
it  will  be  one  of  the  great  dates  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The 
third  battle  of  the  Marne  still  goes  on.  It  offers  this  unique  char 
acter  that  American  troops  have  played  in  it  a  splendid  part; 
the  first  battle  in  Europe  in  which  they  have  been  associated. 
Starting  from  the  Marne,  the  fight  continues.  Pershing's  men  win 
the  admiration  of  all.  Our  English  friends  are  doing  wonders,  and 
all  acting  together,  led  by  that  stout-hearted  soldier,  Marshal  Foch, 
we  bid  fair  to  proceed  from  one  river  to  another,  until  we  pay 
the  enemy  the  compliment  of  echoing  on  the  spot  one  of  his 
favorite  songs:  "The  Watch  on  the  Rhine."  (Laughter  and  ap 
plause.) 

The  peace  offensive  of  the  enemy  will  fail  as  well  as  his  other 
offensives.  He  chose  and  appointed  the  day  when  should  begin  what 
he  himself  now  rightly  calls  "the  atrocities  of  war"  (i)  ;  we  shall 
chose  and  appoint  the  day  for  peace.  Our  terms  are  known  to  the 
whole  world ;  they  aim  at  the  destruction  not  of  Germany,  but  of 
Germanism,  at  the  liberation  not  only  of  our  Alsace-Lorraine,  but 
of  all  the  Alsaces-Lorraines  in  the  world.  And  we  simply  acted  in 
accordance  with  our  principles,  with  the  principles  of  the  hero  of 
the  day,  Lafayette,  the  principles  set  forth  in  admirable  language 
by  President  Wilson,  when  we  and  our  allies  recognized,  only  the 
other  day,  the  independence  of  those  splendid  Tcheco-Slovaks 
whose  anabasis  through  Siberia  will  have  been  one  of  the  memor- 

41 


Lafayette  Day  In  New  Y.ork — Principal  Exercises 

able  deeds  of  the  war,  the  United  States  having  joined  us  this  very 
week  in  this  work  of  honor. 

Hand  in  hand  when  the  day  comes,  after  years  of  suffering  and 
hope,  having  perfected  their  great  task  with  an  equal  courage  and 
abnegation,  the  honest  nations  of  the  world  will  walk  towards  the 
temple  of  Justice;  two  of  them  will  look  like  twin  sisters,  the  Re 
public  of  France  and  the  Republic  of  America.  (Prolonged 
applause.) 

THE  CHAIRMAN  :  In  declaring  this  meeting  closed,  and  thank 
ing  you  for  your  attendance,  I  trust  it  may  be  the  privilege  of  the 
chairman  of  the  next  year's  gathering  to  tell  you  of  a  complete 
victory  for  the  Allied  cause.  (Applause) 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises,  the  Star  Spangled  Banner 
was  played. 


(1)     German  note  to  the  Powers  Dec.  12, 

4* 


ON  THE  STEPS  OF  CITY  HALL,  NEW  YORK 
AFTER  THE  EXERCISES. 

(Left  to  Right.) 

1st  Row:  Japanese  Consul  General,  French  Consul  General,  Frank  A. 
Vanderlip,  Honorary  Chairman,  French  Ambassador,  Justice  Victor  J.  Bowl 
ing,  Chairman,  Mme.  Jusserand,  Maurice  Leon,  Chairman  Executive  Com 
mittee,  Major  Bastedo,  Motor  Corps  of  America,  Geoffrey  Butler,  British 
Bureau  of  Information. 

2nd  Row :  George  T.  Wilson,  Vice-Chairman  Reception  Committee, 
Colonel  Wilcox,  U.  S.  A.,  Capt.  Yakura,  Japanese  Naval  Attache,  Capt.  de 
Manclat-Grancey  (a  descendant  of  Lafayette  and  aide  of  Rear-Admiral 
Grout),  Rear- Admiral  Grout,  in  command  of  French  Naval  forces  in  the 
Atlantic,  Capt.  LeGall,  chief  of  staff,  General  Vignal,  French  Military 
Attache,  Asa  Bird  Gardiner,  Mrs.  Leon,  Miss  Luisita  Leland,  Chairman  cf 
Fatherless  Children  of  France,  Major  Lankester  of  the  British  Army, 
William  D.  Guthrie,  Chairman  Reception  Committee. 

3rd  Row:  Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan,  Major  Osterreith  of  the  Belgian 
Army,  Colonel  Binda  and  General  Guglielmotti  of  the  Italian  Army,  Capt. 
Vannutelli,  Italian  Naval  Attache,  Brig.  Gen.  Kenyon,  C.  B.,  chief  British 
Army  representative,  Sir  Henry  Babington  Smith,  acting  British  High  Com 
missioner. 

4th  Row :  Richard  Aldrich,  Charles  Stewart  Davison,  Honorary  Secre 
tary  of  Citizens'  Committee  (third  from  left). 


45 


LAFAYETTE      DAY      EXERCISES      HELD      AT      THE 

STATUE    OF    LAFAYETTE,    UNION    SQUARE, 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  SEPTEMBER  6th,  1918. 

At  ii  :oo  A.  M.,  September  6th,  1918,  exercises  were  held  at  the 
Statue  of  Lafayette  in  Union  Square  which  had  been  appropriately 
decorated  for  the  occasion,  as  had  also  the  Washington  statue 
nearby.  The  marine  band  from  the  Battleship  "Recruit",  the 
Naval  Recruiting  Station  built  to  resemble  a  battleship  located  in 
Union  Square,  a  short  distance  from  the  Lafayette  Statue,  fol 
lowed  by  a  battalion  of  uniformed  naval  recruits  from  the  "Re 
cruit",  as  also  a  detachment  of  French  blue-jackets  and  a  detachment 
of  U.  S.  soldiers  from  Governor's  Island  marched  to  the  Statue 
playing  the  Marseillaise  and  drew  up  in  front  of  the  platform 
erected  to  the  west  of  the  monument. 

Wreaths  were  placed  upon  the  statue  by  numerous  patriotic 
societies :  Delegates  from  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Lafayette 
Post  G.  A.  R.,  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  Order  of  Founders  and 
Patriots  of  America  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  were  present  on  the  plat 
form  representing  these  societies.  A  crowd  of  several  thousand 
persons  which  had  gathered  around  the  platform  and  statue  fol 
lowed  the  exercises  very  closely  and  manifested  its  patriotic  ap 
preciation  of  the  occasion  by  repeated  applause  of  the  sentiments 
expressed. 

The  color  guard  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  carried  the  flags 
which  Major  General  Lafayette's  command  bore  through  its  fight 
ing  in  the  last  part  of  the  i8th  century. 

The  chairman  in  charge  of  the  exercises,  Charles  A.  Downer, 
Esq.,  Professor  of  French  in  the  college  of  the  City  of  New  York 
and  President  of  the  Alliance  Francaise,  introduced  the  speaker  on 
that  occasion,  the  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker. 

Address  by  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker. 

Mr.  Chairman,  and  distinguished  guests,  soldiers  and  sailors, 
friends  of  Lafayette  and  of  France :  enthusiastic  supporters  of  the 
Allies  in  their  great  struggle  for  world  wide  liberty:  We  are  gath- 

47 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Union  Square 

ored  about  this  statue  erected  by  the  people  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  honor  of  a  distinguished  son  of  France,  who,  in  our  strug 
gle  for  liberty  tendered  to  us  his  fortunes  and  his  life — General 
Lafayette. 

We  come  on  this  i6ist  Anniversary  of  his  birth  to  pay  our 
tribute  of  admiration  and  affection  for  his  memory. 

In  order  to  value  the  spirit  which  prompted  him  to  cast  in  his 
fortunes  with  those  who  were  struggling  for  the  liberties  of  this 
people,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  at  that  time  France  and  Eng 
land  were  at  peace,  and  when  the  King  of  France  learned  that  a 
young  French  nobleman  was  engaged  in  an  effort  to  strengthen 
the  Rebellion  in  America,  he  caused  his  arrest,  to  the  end  that 
those  relations  which  were  then  friendly,  existing  between  France 
and  England,  should  not  be  broken.  But  Lafayette  escaped,  and 
by  the  aid  of  disguise  reached  a  port  in  Spain  where  his  own  ship, 
which  he  had  fitted  out  in  order  to  come  to  the  United  States, 
picked  him  up  and  at  last,  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage,  he 
found  himself  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  first  thing  that  he  did  was 
to  address  Congress  then  assembled,  a  letter  tendering  his  services 
to  the  Congress  without  compensation  and  at  his  own  cost,  and 
further  expressing  the  desire  that  at  first  he  should  be  permitted 
to  serve  as  a  volunteer. 

The  outcome  of  it  was  that  a  little  after  the  age  of  twenty,  he 
was  made  a  major-general,  and  assigned  to  the  staff  of  Wash 
ington,  and  between  those  two  great  men  there  grew  up  an  affec 
tion  which  endured  while  life  lasted. 

Tt  is  not  necessary  on  this  occasion  for  us  to  gather  together 
the  history  that  shows  the  great  service  which  he  rendered  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  We  need  not  take  the  time  to  marshal 
the  facts.  We  need  not  refer  to  his  bravery  shown  on  many  a 
Held,  and  yet  it  would  seem  to  me  that  this  occasion  should  not 
pass  without  referring  to  the  fact  that  on  the  field  of  Brandywine 
he  fought  after  he  had  been  wounded,  with  the  blood  gushing 
from  his  wounds ;  but  the  reason  why  T  take  the  liberty  of  saying 
to  you  today  that  it  is  no  longer  necessary  for  us  to  marshal  the 
facts  having  to  do  with  that  wonderful  service  which  he  rendered 
to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  because  it  was  done  while  he 
lived  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  by  this  people; 


Address  by  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker 

before — quite  a  little  time  before  his  life  passed  away,  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  invited  him  to  come  to  the  United  States  to 
be  the  guest  of  the  United  States.  He  accepted  the  invitation. 
He  was  with  us  just  a  little  more  than  a  year.  Two  of  his  birthdays 
were  spent  here — his  67  and  his  68th  birthdays. 

From  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  he  visited.  The 
thirteen  states  which  we  had  when  he  was  here,  had  grown  to  be 
twenty-four.  We  had  no  railroad  trains  in  those  days  to  take  him 
from  one  place  to  another,  and  so,  either  by  watercourse  or  by 
the  ordinary  roads  and  coaches,  he  visited  every  single  one  of  those 
twenty-four  states,  and  wherever  he  went  the  people  were  out 
to  acclaim  him.  Wherever  he  went  there  were  receptions  and 
fetes,  and  such  honors  as  were  never  before  or  since  bestowed  upon 
any  man  in  this  country  by  its  people.  Ah!  But  not  only  did  we 
have  in  that  great  reception  by  the  people  of  the  United  States  the 
judgment  of  the  people  while  he  was  living,  as  to  the  importance 
of  his  services,  but  we  had  the  judgment  of  Congress,  for  you  have 
not  forgotten  that  Congress  appropriated  $200,000 — "in  part  pay 
ment" — those  were  the  words  used  in  the  "Appropriation  Bill" — in 
part  payment  for  General  Lafayette's  services  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States;  and  when  he  came  to  go  away,  leaving,  as  he  did, 
the  White  House  after  a  wonderful  reception  and  a  speech  by  the 
President  on  the  front  steps  of  the  White  House,  he  went  away  by 
direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  upon  a  war  vessel— 
a  new  one,  just  completed  and  named  "The  Brandywine"  after 
that  battlefield  upon  which  he  was  so  severely  wounded. 

Therefore  I  say,  my  fellow  citizens,  we  need  not  stop  to  discuss 
the  facts.  We  have  the  judgment  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  a  judgment  rendered  by  the  Congress  and  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  such  a  judgment  and  such  a  token  of 
respect  and  esteem  as  was  never  given  by  the  United  States  to  any 
other  lone  resident  of  the  United  States. 

A  great  poet  has  said : 

"There  is  a  destiny  that  shapes  our  ends,  rough 
hew  them  how  we  will." 

I  prefer,  as  presenting  more  nearly  the  situation  as  I  understand 
it  now,  another  sentence,  familiar  to  you  all : 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  his  wonders  to  perform. 

49 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Union  Square 

Was  it  not  wonderful  that  54  American  citizens,  leading  citi 
zens,  men  of  ability,  education  and  character,  should  have  taken 
upon  themselves  the  responsibility  of  signing  the  Declaration  of 
Independence 

Was  it  not  wonderful  that  in  that  Declaration  of  Independence 
should  have  been  written  this  sentence: 

"WTe  hold  these  truths  to  be  self  evident:  That  all  men  are 
created  equal" — a  sentence  destined  to  ring  around  the  world  for 
years  and  years  and  years,  and  to  focus  the  attention  of  the  people 
of  the  world  upon  a  country  where  that  experiment  was  to  be  tried, 
where  it  was  to  be  demonstrated  that  men  are,  in  fact,  ''equal", 
"created  equal"  at  the  beginning. 

Was  it  not  wonderful,  too,  that  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  a  form  of  government  was  created,  the  like  of  which 
the  world  had  never  seen?  It  is  no  small  matter  of  pride  to 
us  that  this  constitutional  form  of  government  was  created  by 
those  whom  we  are  proud  to  call  the  fathers  of  the  country.  We 
know  now  why  they  adopted  the  constitutional  form  of  Govern 
ment.  These  men  were  in  large  measure  descendants  of  England, 
familiar  with  the  struggle  in  England  for  liberty,  and  they  wished 
to  secure  for  all  time  to  come  the  benefit  for  themselves  and 
those  who  were  to  come  after  them,  of  those  great  principles  of 
English  liberty  which  were  the  result  of  a  struggle  which  took  five 
hundred  years  to  win.  Was  it  not  wonderful,  too,  that  this  country, 
without  any  great  army,  without  remarkably  trained  soldiers,  need 
ing  a  great  leader,  could  have  found  him  in  the  form  of  a  farmer 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  ready  to  lead  the  people  in  their 
effort  for  Liberty? 

Was  it  not  just  as  Lincoln  was  found  in  the  Presidential  Chair, 
and  ready  when  the  struggle  in  this  country  took  place,  whether 
this  should  be  a  Union  of  States,  one  and  inseparable,  and  just  as 
Wilson  was  found  in  the  Presidential  Chair,  and  ready  when  the 
broader  field  was  entered  upon  by  the  great  nations  of  the  world, 
which  is  to  result  finally  in  the  settlement  of  this  problem — not  only 
are  men  free  within  their  own  country,  but  that  nations  hereafter 
shall  be  free  (applause),  little  or  big,  to  worship  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  and  to  work  out  their  own 
national  problems  without  hindrance,  without  fear  that  any  other 

50 


Address  by  Hon.  A! ton  B.  Parker 

and  a  larger  nation  shall  attempt  to  take  their  property  and  liberties 
from  them  and  make  them  prisoners?     (Applause.) 

My  fellow  citizens,  was  it  not  wonderful,  too — how  much  of  it 
may  be  attributed  to  Lafayette  I  do  not  know — but  we  know  that  he 
went  home  to  France  when  our  situation  here  was  a  very  trouble 
some  one,  when  it  seemed  doubtful  if  we  could  win — he  went  over 
to  France  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  men  here  who  were  struggling 
for  the  equal  rights  of  man,  and  we  know  what  followed:  Ro- 
chambeau,  General  Rochambeau  and  five  thousand  troops  came 
over  to  the  United  States  with  a  part  of  the  French  Navy,  large 
enough  to  keep  the  English  Navy  at  bay,  and  then  the  French 
troops  under  Rochambeau  and  the  American  troops  under  Wash 
ington  with  the  navy  standing  off  to  protect  them  raised  the  Siege 
at  Yorktown,  which  resulted  finally  in  breaking  the  back  bone  of 
the  war. 

Oh,  my  friends,  we  have  not  forgotten  France,  nor  will  we 
ever  forget  France  (applause). 

It  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  that  we  are  now  contributing 
our  quota  toward  driving  the  barbarous  Huns  out  of  France  and 
Belgium  (applause)  ;  but  what  was  the  result  of  this  effort?  Why, 
all  the  people  of  the  world  when  they  saw  we  had  gained  our 
liberty,  began  to  fasten  their  attention  upon  the  fact  that  we  had 
gained  it,  and  so,  they  came  from  every  quarter  of  the  earth  and 
from  every  nation  speaking  every  language,  they  came  here  to 
build  their  homes  where  men  could  enjoy  the  great  principles  of 
liberty  and  feel  that  they  were  free  to  contribute  their  part  towards 
the  creation  of  the  Government ;  and  we  trusted  them,  so  that 
when  this  war  broke  out,  we  had  over  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven  billions  of  wealth,  more  than  Great  Britain  and  Germany 
put  together.  We  had  over  one  hundred  million  of  people ;  but 
when  this  war  broke  out,  you  and  I  and  some  of  us  did  not  quite 
appreciate  our  responsibilities.  There  were  people  in  this  country 
who  seemed  to  think  that  God  had  been  doing  this  all  for  us — not 
at  all.  It  is  all  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  to  build  up  this  country, 
so  that  this  country  would  be  all  able  in  this  great  struggle  for 
human  righteousness  which  is  now  upon  us,  to  perform  an  im 
portant  part  and  play  a  controlling  part.  We  ought  to  have  seen 
it;  I  am  sorry  that  we  did  not.  We  just  went  quietly  along,  quite 

51 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  York — Union  Square 

a  good  many  of  us  did.  We  ought  to  have  seen  earlier,  you  and  I, 
that  England  was  struggling,  not  alone  for  herself,  she  was  strug 
gling  for  Belgium.  They  knew  over  there  better  than  we  knew 
here,  the  situation.  Our  only  excuse  is  that  we  did  not  understand 
Germany,  and  the  German  people,  as  we  understand  them  now. 
(Applause.)  Now,  we  know  them;  but  at  last  we  had  to  be 
forced  in.  The  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe  did  not  intend  that 
the  program  which  had  been  worked  out  from  the  beginning,  to 
make  us  a  rich  and  popular  nation,  and  a  powerful  one,  should  pass 
by  without  our  doing  our  part ;  and  so  Germany  kicked  us  at  last 
into  the  war.  But  when  we  came  in,  under  the  leadership  of  our 
great  President,  we  came  at  last  to  a  full  appreciation  of  our 
responsibilities  and  duties  to  Gocl,  to  the  Nations  of  the  World,  and 
to  ourselves.  That  duty,  as  we  all  see  it  now,  is  to  fight  until  the 
last  armed  force  expires,  to  fight  until  the  barbarous  Hun  has  been 
driven  out  of  Belgium,  and  France,  and  into  Germany — fight  on 
until  they  are  all  well  satisfied  they  do  not  want  any  more  (ap 
plause).  No  matter  what  it  costs  you  and  me,  it  is  going  to  be 
done,  is  it  not?  (Cries  of  "Yes.") 

All  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  behind  the  President, 
and  with  those  glorious  Allies  of  ours — England,  France,  Italy 
and  Belgium.  Oh,  yes,  we  are  fighting  together  for  the  peace  of 
the  world  hereafter,  and  when  it  is  all  done,  my  friends — when 
it  is  all  done — what  then?  What  is  there  to  happen  which  will 
make  it  worth  while? 

Now,  I  want  to  predict  for  you  what  I  think  will  happen. 
1  expect  to  see  under  the  leadership  of  France  and  England,  Italy. 
Belgium  and  the  United  States,  a  league  of  nations,  formed 
strong  enough  to  enforce  the  peace  of  the  world  hereafter  (ap 
plause) — a  league  of  nations  determined  that  never  again  shall 
any  other  monarch  whether  he  be  called  Kaiser  or  by  some 
other  name — that  never  again  shall  any  monarch,  backed  by  a 
selfish  people,  be  permitted  to  drag  millions  of  good  men  to  a 
soldier's  grave,  and  strong  enough  to  check  at  the  outset  any 
attempt  made  by  any  country  for  another  preparation  for  a 
forty  years'  war. 

My  friends,  in  conclusion,  there  was  never  a  more  brave 
and  chivalrous  knight  than  General  Lafayette.  He  came  to  us. 


Address  by  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker 

to  the  end,  although  he  did  not  know  it,  that  we  should  be  pre 
pared  to  contribute  our  qouta  in  this  great  contest  for  human 
rights.  All  he  thought  of  then  undoubtedly  was  that  he  was  help 
ing  these  men  whom  he  could  realize,  whom  he  could  see — he  was 
helping  them  to  gain  their  liberties;  but  whether  he  had  a  vision 
of  the  future  or  not,  the  fact  is  that  he  contributed  his  quota 
toward  that  great  day  when  all  the  world  shall  be  at  peace,  and 
the  Allies  shall  have  won  the  victory  and  the  peace  of  the  world 
is  secured  hereafter.  So  we  do  well  to-day,  aye,  and  we  shall  con 
tinue  it  in  the  years  to  come  to  treasure  the  memory  of  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  and  to  occasionally  meet  as  we  do  here, 
to  pay  our  tribute  to  one  who  fought  in  this  country  for 
humanity's  sake.  (Great  applause.) 

LAFAYETTE  DAY  BANQUET. 

In  the  evening  the  annual  Lafayette  Day  Banquet  was  given  at 
the  Waldorf-Astoria  Hotel  by  the  France-America  Society  in  honor 
of  His  Excellency  the  French  Ambassador,  at  which  the  principal 
address  was  delivered  by  Hon.  Franklin  K.  Lane,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior. 

METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART. 

In  connection  with  the  celebration  of  Lafayette  Day  there 
was  shown  at  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  a  small  group 
of  works  of  art  associated  with  the  name  of  General  Lafayette. 
The  exhibition  was  held  in  the  recent  accessions  room  near  the 
main  entrance  and  continued  for  two  weeks.  In  the  exhibition 
were  portraits,  engravings,  miniatures,  Staffordshire,  printed 
plates,  wedgewood  plaques,  medals,  snuff-boxes  and  other  small 
objects  which  show  the  widespread  popular  esteem  in  which 
Lafayette  was  held. 


53 


CHILDREN'S  FETE,  THE  MALL  CENTRAL  PARK. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Women's  National  Committee  of 
the  American  Defense  Society,  several  thousand  children  took 
part  in  a  fete  on  the  Mall  in  Central  Park.  A  number  of  settle 
ments  and  children's  societies  formed  into  line  and  marched 
from  59th  Street  through  the  Mall  to  the  band-stand,  led  by  boy 
scouts  dressed  in  French  costumes  and  carrying  American  flags. 
The  Pelham  Bay  band  rendered  the  music  for  the  afternoon. 

Dr.  George  F.  Kunz,  President  of  the  American  Scenic 
Historical  Society  who  was  in  charge  of  the  celebration  delivered 
an  address  which  opened  a  carefully  arranged  program  intended 
to  inspire  patriotism  and  reverence  for  the  flag  in  the  budding 
minds  of  an  attentive  juvenile  audience. 

While  the  ceremonies  were  in  progress  18  aeroplanes  soared 
above  the  Mall  and  the  City  in  battle  formation  headed  by  Major 
East  of  the  Mineola  Field.  They  dropped  cards  reading  "Lafay 
ette  Day,  Greeting  from  the  French  and  American  Aviators." 
Captain  Jacques  Boyriven,  of  the  French  Aviation  Mission  soared 
over  the  battleships  in  the  North  River  in  the  evening. 

The  fete  which  was  in  charge  of  Mrs.  William  S.  Skinner  and 
Mrs.  McAllister  Smith,  offered  a  program  contributed  to  by 
Lieutenant  Adrien  de  Pachmann  of  the  French  High  Commission, 
who  was  the  speaker  of  the  occasion.  Rose  LaHarte,  Miss  Sally 
Hamlin,  great  granddaughter  of  Hannibal  Hamlin,  Vice-President 
with  Lincoln,  the  Police  Glee  Club  and  Miss  Edythe  Gibson.  The 
Marine  Band  played  the  national  airs  of  both  countries. 

Lieutenant  de  Pachmann  in  his  address  explained  to  the 
children  the  history  of  Lafayette  and  why  all  France  joins 
America  in  honoring  his  name  and  memory  today. 

Among  the  women  patrons  of  the  celebration  were  Miss 
Elizabeth  Marbury,  Mrs.  John  Marshall  Gallagher,  Mrs.  George 
Evans,  Mrs.  Eugene  J.  Grant,  Misses  Virginia  Furman,  Frances 
Tilghman,  Florence  Guernsey,  Teresa  R.  O'Donohue,  H.  V. 
Boswell,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Bradner,  Mrs.  John  H.  Griesel,  Mrs.  Laurent 
Oppenheim,  Mrs.  William  J.  Smyth,  Mrs.  William  Sporborg, 
Mrs.  M.  McAllister  Smith,  Mrs.  Caspar  Whitney  and  Mrs.  E.  D. 
Moseley. 

54 


S'C 


55 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

JOINT  CELEBRATION 

by 

The    National    Society,    Daughters   of   The    American   Revolution 
The  Sons  of  The  Revolution  In  The  District  of  Columbia 

and 

The  District  of  Columbia  Society 
Sons  of  The  American  Revolution 

of  the 

One  Hundred  Sixty-First  Anniversary  of  The  Birth  of 
MARQUIS  De  LAFAYETTE 

and 

The  Fourth  Anniversary  of  The  Battle  of  the  Marne 

i 

Friday,  September  6,  1918,  at  Five  P.  M. 

AT  THE  LAFAYETTE  MONUMENT. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

The  joint  celebration  by  the  National  Society  of  the  Daugh 
ters  of  the  American  Revolution,  Sons  of  the  Revolution  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  Society  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  of  the  i6ist  anniversary  of  the  birth 
of  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  and  the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  Battle 
of  the  Marne,  took  place  at  the  Lafayette  Monument,  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  on  Friday  afternoon,  September  6,  1918. 

There  were  present  the  President  of  the  United  States  and 
Mrs.  Wilson;  the  Secretary  of -the  Navy,  the  Honorable  Josephus 
Daniels;  the  Count  de  Chambrun,  representing  the  Ambassador 
of  France;  Mr.  Louis  F.  Brownlow,  President  of  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  various  repre 
sentatives  from  the  Embassies  of  the  Allied  powers,  and  other 
distinguished  guests  as  follows: 

57 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

Commander  de  Blanpre,  Naval  Attache  of  the  French  Embassy ; 
Honorable  Thomas  B.  Hoehler,  Charge  d'Affaires,  British  Embassy ; 
M.  K.  Debuchi,  Secretary  Japanese  Embassy;  Sr.  and  Mme. 
Belisaris  Parras,  Panamanian  Embassy;  Sr.  Don.  Ignacio 
Calderon,  Bolivian  Embassy;  General  and  Mrs.  J.  D.  Cormack, 
British  War  Mission;  M.  O.  Guerlac  of  the  French  High  Commis 
sion,  and  several  members  of  the  Belgian  Embassy. 

Invocation. 

The  Reverend  Charles  T.  Warner,  Rector  of  Saint  Alban's 
Church,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Presentation  of  the  Colors. 

To  the  air  of  ''Stars  and  Stripes  Forever"  by  the  Marine 
Band. 

Presiding  officer,  Mr.  Louis  Annin  Ames  : 

We  will  have  the  reading  of  The  American's  Creed  by  the 
author,  William  Tyler  Page  of  Maryland. 


Mr.  William  Tyler  Page: 

"I  believe  in  the  United  States  of  America  as  a  govern 
ment  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people ;  whose 
just  powers  are  derived  from  the  consent  of  the  governed,  a 
democracy  in  a  republic ;  a  sovereign  nation  of  many- 
sovereign  States ;  a  perfect  Union,  one  and  inseparable, 
established  upon  those  principles  of  freedom,  equality,  jus 
tice  and  humanity  for  which  American  patriots  sacrificed  their 
lives  and  fortunes. 

'T  therefore  believe  it  is  my  duty  to  my  country  to  love, 
it,  to  support  its  Constitution,  to  obey  its  laws,  to  respect  its 
flag  and  to  defend  it  against  all  enemies."  (Applause). 


'The  Star  Spangled  Banner",  by  The  Marine  Band. 


The  Presiding  Officer,  Louis  Annin  Ames,  Esquire,  of  New  York 
City,  President  General,  National  Society,  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

58 


Address  by  Hon.  Josephus  Daniels 

Mr.  President,  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 
The  women  and  men  who  have  arranged  this  celebration  are 
proud  that  they  are  the  descendants  of  men,  who  with  Wash 
ington  and  Lafayette  achieved  American  independence.  While 
they  feel  that  upon  them  rests  a  sacred  and  a  holy  duty  to  pre 
serve  the  ideals  for  which  their  revolutionary  forefathers  fought, 
they  recognize  that  it  is  not  ancestry  nor  birth,  but  it  is  only 
service  to  the  common  good  that  counts  for  Americanism.  The 
milestones  that  mark  humanity's  progress  are  the  natal  days  of 
heroic  souls.  We  have  gathered  here  to  celebrate  the  anni 
versary  of  the  birth  of  the  great  Lafayette — our  friend,  champion 
soldier  in  the  war  for  American  Independence,  prophet  of  demo 
cracy,  who  saw  a  land  of  brotherhood  where  liberty,  the  fond 
hope  of  every  honest  soul  would  flourish.  He  was  an  apostle  of 
the  Golden  Rule  among  the  nations  and  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  federation  of  the  world. 

Lafayette,  we  pause  today  with  loving  hearts,  full  of  grati 
tude  to  remember  thy  birthday.  This  pause  is  to  us  a  moment 
of  inspiration  to  carry  on  the  great  work  at  hand  for  human 
freedom.  (Applause.) 

The  World  Turned  Upside  Down",  was  then  played  by  The 
Marine  Band.     (Played  at  Yorktown,  1781.) 

The  Presiding  Officer: 

I  would  announce  that  through  the  courtesy  of  Count  de 
Chambrun,  the  committee  has  made  a  change  in  the  program  so 
that  our  honored  Secretary  of  the  Navy  may  leave  the  city  at 
5:45  to  present  a  stand  of  colors  to  the  I3th  Regiment  of 
Marines  at  Quantico,  Va.,  this  evening.  I  have  the  honor  of 
presenting  the  next  speaker,  the  Honorable  Josephus  Daniels, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  (Applause.) 


Address  by  Hon.  Josephus  Daniels. 

Every  notable  period  furnishers  its  prophet.  Contrary  to 
the  accepted  opinion,  prophets  are  not  dreamers.  They  are 
doers.  They  prophecy  and  help  to  fulfill  that  which  they  fore- 

59 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

tell.  For  more  than  a  century,  upon  each  recurring  September 
6th,  when  the  birthday  of  Lafayette  has  been  celebrated,  gifted 
speakers  have  presented  him  as  the  superb  soldier,  the  chivalric 
knight,  the  chevalier  of  "the  gentleman  among  nations,"  the 
devoted  friend,  the  courageous  champion  of  the  rights  of  man, 
and  the  foe  of  every  form  of  tyranny  and  absolutism. 

Today,  as  we  stand  at  the  base  of  this  noble  monument, 
erected  in  a  country  whose  love  shines  brighter  than  its  grati 
tude,  let  us  think  of  him  rather  as  the  man  of  prophecy  and 
faith.  He  was  the  seer  who  saw  where  others  were  blind,  the 
believer  in  a  generation  which  lacked  vision.  There  were  other 
men  as  courageous,  many  who  gave  their  lives  in  battle.  Then, 
as  now,  courage  was  the  commonest  as  well  as  the  noblest 
virtue  of  our  humanity.  France  was  not  wanting  in  men  of 
ideals,  in  men  who  dreamed  of  liberty,  and  in  men  who  hoped 
and  prayed  that  the  Americans  would  win  their  independence. 
Lafayette,  with  the  audacity  of  faith  found  only  in  youths  of 
adventure,  saw  in  the  young  Republic  the  hope  of  humanity. 
It  was  as  real  to  him  before  he  set  out  on  La  Victoria  to  become 
the  associate  and  friend  of  Washington  as  when  his  prayers 
were  answered  as  the  French  fleet  appeared  in  the  offing  at 
Yorktown  and  won  a  notable  naval  victory,  the  significance  ot 
which  was  long  not  appreciated.  Looking  back  upon  the 
Revolution,  in  which  he  bore  so  conspicuous  a  part,  Lafayette 
wrote:  "This  was  the  last  struggle  of  liberty.  Its  defeat  would 
have  left  it  without  a  refuge  and  without  a  hope." 

Lafayette  the  Prophet!  Let  that  be  our  theme  today.  In 
iN'.?5.  with  the  natural  desire  of  the  old  to  revisit  the  scenes  of 
their  youthful  struggles,  he  made  a  visit  to  America  which  will 
ever  be  memorable.  No  citizen  of  our  own  country  ever  re 
ceived  so  loving  a  welcome.  His  journeys  were  triumphal  pro 
cessions.  The  ardor  of  revolutionary  days  was  rekindled.  In  the 
capital  of  the  Republic  he  was  received  with  every  honor  and 
distinction.  At  a  dinner  in  his  honor,  attended  by  President 
Monroe,  Mr.  Gaillard,  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Senate ;  Henry 
Clay,  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  other  eminent  men,  in  respond 
ing  to  a  toast  which  gave  him  title  as  "the  great  apostle  of  ra 
tional  liberty"  Lafayette  counselled  against  any  division  of  the 

60 


Address  by  Hon.  Josephus  Daniels 

Union  and  accompanied  it  with  a  prophecy  which  is  this  day 
being  fulfilled  before  the  very  eyes  of  more  than  a  million  and 
a  half  Americans  in  France,  who,  with  brave  men  of  other  free 
nations,  are  making  real  his  prediction.  The  toast  he  afrered 
was 

"Perpetual  union  among  the  United  States;  it  has  saved  us 
in  our  times  of  danger ;  it  will  save  the  world." 

That  prophecy  did  not  pass  without  comment,  for  Niles' 
Register  in  remarking  upon  the  occasion  said  it  was  "one  ot 
the  proudest  days  in  the  annals  of  the  councry,"  and  with  the 
prescience  which  enables  the  writer  to  see  the  year  1918,  added, 
'*'a  day  which  will  be  told  with  high  satisfaction  to  our  remote 
posterity."  As  we  stand  beneath  the  figure  of  Prophet  Lafay 
ette  the  echoes  of  that  gathering  come  down  to  us.  The  union  of 
the  United  States  has  secured  the  independence  of  our  country 
and  made  it  the  beacon  light  of  liberty.  Lafayette,  with  an 
insight  into  the  struggle  of  this  decade,  with  the  assurance  of 
the  prophets  of  old,  stood  up  in  that  assembly  and  declared, 
"It  will  save  the  world." 

Glorious  vision  of  the  man  to  whom  the  secrets  of  all  ages 
were  revealed !  Was  it  given  to  him  to  see  the  6th  of  September, 
1914,  when  Liberty  in  this  generation  was  in  the  death  struggle 
in  Europe  when  the  life  of  his  own  great  Republic  across  the 
seas  hung  in  the  balance?  Do  noble  natures  of  separated  cen 
turies  have  cmmunion  ?  It  has  been  said  that  it  was  an  accident 
of  fate  that  made  the  first  victory  of  the  Marne  fall  on  the 
birthday  of  Lafayette.  Should  we  not  say  it  was  a  glorious 
coincidence?  Or,  better  still,  that  Marshal  Joffre's  victory  was 
a  providential  and  fitting  celebration  of  the  hundred  and  fifty 
seventh  birthday  of  Gilbert  du  Notier  de  Lafayette?  We  come 
now  to  another  victory  of  the  Marne  thankful  for  the  genius  of 
Foch,  who  wears  worthily  the  mantle  of  Lafayette.  And  again, 
on  Lafayette's  birthday,  victorious  encounters  by  the  allied 
armies  in  France  bring  us  nearer  to  the  success  at  arms  which 
will  mean  to  the  whole  world  what  Yorktown  meant  to  the 
Western  Hemisphere.  There  never  was  a  darker  day  in  the 
American  Revolution  than  when  at  Georgetown,  S.  C,  January 
13,  17/7,  Lafayette  landed  to  offer  his  sword  in  the  unequal 
struggle.  In  his  memories  he  says  when  he  arrived  in  America 

61 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

he  vowed  to  win  or  die  here  in  the  cause  of  Liberty.  All  his 
dreams  of  what  he  would  find  in  the  new  world  were  realized, 
and  to  his  wife,  whom  he  called  "Dear  Heart,"  he  writes,  "All 
citizens  are  brothers,"  "the  richest  and  the  poorest  are  on  the 
same  social  level,"  and  he  described  the  American  women  as 
"beautiful,  unaffected  in  manner,  and  of  a  charming  neatness." 
Of  Congress  he  asked  only  two  favors,  "the  one  to  serve  without 
pay  at  my  own  expense,  the  other  that  I  be  allowed  to  serve  at 
first  as  a  volunteer."  His  offer  was  accepted,  he  was  commis 
sioned  as  a  major  general  at  the  age  of  twenty — an  age  which 
some  people  think  too  young  for  men  to  be  entrusted  with 
military  command.  Lafayette  was  only  eighteen  when  a  junior 
officer  in  the  French  Musketeers,  dining  with  his  commanders  of 
the  garrison  at  Metz,  he  heard  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  a  brother 
but  not  a  friend  of  King  George  III,  tell  the  story  of  the  fight 
for  freedom  in  America.  As  he  listened,  the  heart  of  the 
eighteen  year  old  boy  spanned  the  Atlantic  and  he  "enlisted" 
with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  the  faith  of  the  knights  who  went 
in  quest  of  the  Holy  Grail.  Every  member  of  his  family  except 
his  seventeen  year  old  wife  regarded  his  determination  to  aid 
America  as  a  mad  adventure.  Let  us  pay  tribute  to  the  wisdom 
of  youth  and  never  again  bow  down  to  the  accepted  superior 
judgment  of  age!  Lafayette  is  the  type  of  eternal  youth. 
With  years  come  prudence  and  caution  and  conventions  which 
aid  knowledge,  but  youth  has  the  courage  of  its  ideals,  the 
audacity  of  its  faith,  and  the  readiness  to  risk  all,  even  life 
itself,  for  Liberty.  All  great  wars  have  been  fought  by  what 
older  people  call  "mere  boys."  In  the  war  between  the  States 
the  vast  majority  of  those  who  followed  Grant  and  Lee  were 
youths,  hundreds  of  thousands  under  21  years  of  age,  many 
of  them  under  18.  There  never  were  finer  soldiers  in  all  history. 
It  was  the  dash  and  daring  of  youth  that  swept  all  before  it  in 
that  mighty  struggle,  and  it  is  the  same  spirit  which  today 
animates  our  armies  fighting  their  way  across  the  battle- 
scarred  fields  of  France  and  which,  with  our  allies,  will  eventually 
drive  the  last  invader  from  the  soil  of  Lafayette's  beloved 
country.  (Applause.) 

62 


Address  by  Hon.  JosepJius  Daniels 

Lafayette  knew  that  the  heart  of  France  was  with  America 
during  the  disheartening  days  that  followed  Valley  Forge  just 
as  all  France  knows  the  heart  of  America  warmed  toward  France 
from  the  moment  of  its  invasion.  All  the  while  he  worked  for  an 
understanding  between  America  and  France.  He  was  rewarded 
when  the  French  fleet  under  DeGrasse  and  the  French  Army 
under  Rochambeau,  (who  with  Portail  and  d'Estaing  are 
honored  as  the  four  minor  figures  grouped  below  or  around  the 
central  figure  of  Marquis  de  Lafayette  in  the  statue  before  us) 
gave  Washington  the  preponderance  that  compelled  the  sur 
render  of  Cornwallis.  In  the  year  of  alternate  hope  and  fear 
Lafayette  and  Rochambeau  urged  upon  France  the  opportunity 
and  duty  of  helping  the  colonists.  Rochambeau  wrote  :  "Nothing 
without  naval  supremacy!"  He  sent  his  son  to  France  to  ask 
for  more  ships  and  Washington  sent  Henry  Lawrence,  saying: 
"This  is  our  last  chance,  our  country  is  exhausted,  our  force  is 
nearly  spent,  the  cause  nearly  lost.  If  France  delays  a  timely 
and  powerful  aid  in  this  critical  posture  of  our  affairs,  it  will 
avail  us  nothing  should  she  attempt  it  hereafter." 

In  May,  1781,  Rochambeau  received  a  message  saying:  "It 
is  impossible  to  send  you  troops,  but  a  new  fleet  is  being  sent. 
Washington's  army,  passing  Philadelphia  on  their  march  to 
the  South,  were  entertained  by  La  Luzerne,  the  French  minister. 
Abbe  Robin,  chaplain  of  the  French  troops,  wrote :  "We  were 
scarcely  seated  when  a  courier  was  introduced.  An  anxious 
silence  reigns  among  the  guests ;  all  eyes  are  fixed  on  the  Cheva 
lier  de  La  Luzerne ;  people  try  to  guess  what  the  news  can  be." 
He  relieves  their  suspense  and  thrills  them  when  he  says : 
"Thirty-six  ships  of  the  line,  under  the  command  of  Count  de 
Grasse,  are  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  three  thousand  men  have 
been  landed  and  established  communication  with  the  Marquis  de 
Lafayette."  He  fought  the  British  fleets  and  so  damaged  them 
that  they  put  back  to  New  York.  Washington  wrote  to  De 
Grasse:  "The  honor  of  the  surrender  of  York  belongs  to  your 
Excellency."  To  Congress  he  said,  "I  wish  it  was  in  my  power 
to  express  to  Congress  how  much  I  feel  myself  indebted  to 
the  Count  de  Grasse  and  the  officers  of  the  fleet  under  his 
command."  Congress  passed  a  resolution  expressing  to  De 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

Grasse  "The  thanks  of  the  United  States  for  his  display  of  skill 
and  bravery  in  attacking  and  defeating  the  British  fleet  off  the 
Bay  of  Chesapeake."  The  French  navy  and  the  French  soldiers 
saved  the  day. 

When  America  entered  the  war,  at  the  hour  when  the  need 
of  the  Allies  was  sorest,  history  repeats  itself.  In  the  first  days 
we  said,  as  France  said  to  Rochambeau :  "It  is  impossible  to  send 
you  troops  at  once,  but  our  fleet  is  being  sent."  Naval  vessels 
were  despatched  at  once  to  join  the  allied  fleet  and  take  part 
in  the  war  against  the  submarine  menace.  It  was  a  return  of 
the  visit  of  the  French  fleet  that  came  into  the  Chesapeake  in 
1783.  The  Army,  now  numbering  in  France  1,600,000,  have  been 
safely  conveyed  across  the  Atlantic,  and  with  the  men  under 
arms  from  all  the  allied  nations,  will  fulfill  the  prophecy  of 
Lafayette  and  "save  the  world."  It  will  add  to  the  million  and 
a  half  already  engaged  as  many  more  million  as  may  be  needed, 
for  all  America  has  highly  resolved  that  the  brave  men  of  this 
country  and  all  the  allied  nations  shall  not  have  died  in  vain. 
And  as  the  brave  Americans  embark,  every  one  of  them  Avill 
recall  that  the  independence  we  won  in  the  Revolution  was 
largely  due  to  Lafayette  and  his  patriotic  countrymen. 

When  Pershing  reached  France  with  the  first  American 
troops,  he  made  a  pious  pilgrimage  to  the  Piopus  cemetery  in 
Paris,  placed  a  wreath  on  the  grave  of  Lafayette  and  simply  said : 
"Lafayette,  nous  valla  (we  are  here)."  And  as  the  millions  more 
will  reach  the  Chores  of  France,  they  will  not  pause  from  their 
grim  determination  to  say  much.  The  advances  made  steel  our 
courage  and  confirm  our  faith.  Deeds  alone  count.  All  that  is 
necessary  will  be  to  invoke  a  double  portion  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Knightly  Marquis  and  say  :  "Lafayette,  we  are  here !"  (Applause) 


Singing  of  National  and  Patriotic  Airs  by  the  Audience. 

The  floral  tribute  by  the  distinguished  guests,  the  participat 
ing  societies,  and  the  audience,  to  the  music  "Partant  pour  la 
Syne"  by  the  Marine  Band.  This  consisted  of  the  laying  of 
wreaths,  garlands  and  flowers  upon  the  monument  as  a  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  Marquis  de  Lafayette.  The  wreaths  presented 
consisted  of  the  following: 


Address  by  Count  Charles  de  Chambrun 

President  Woodrow  Wilson. 

French  Embassy,  represented  by  Count  de  Chambrun. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 

Belgian  Legation. 


Reading  of  the  poem  "The  Name  of  France"  by  Henry 
Van  Dyke,  by  Mr.  Barry  Bulkley  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution 
in  the  District  of  Columbia  Society. 


Mr.  William  M.  Lewis  read  messages  received  by  the  Lafayette 
Day  National  Committee  from  the  President  of  France  and  from 
Marshal  JofTre,  the  text  of  which  is  found  in  the  report  of  the 
principal  exercises  held  at  the  City  Hall,  New  York  (p.  23). 


"The  Marseillaise"  was  then  sung,  led  by  Lieutenant  Labat, 
French  Military  Mission. 
Presiding  Officer: 

Our  last  speaker  is  the  great-great  grandson  of  Marquis  de 
Lafayette — Count  de  Chambrun,  Counselor  of  the  French  Em 
bassy. 

Address  by  Count  Charles  De  Chambrun. 

On  this  anniversary,  particularly  dear  to  my  heart,  I  fee! 
deeply  the  honor  of  being  called  upon  to  speak,  in  the  name  of 
the  Ambassador  of  France,  before  this  assembly  graced  by  the 
presence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  whose  name, 
blessed  by  all  my  fellow  countrymen,  is  to-day  as  popular 
among  them  as  Lafayette's  with  you.  I  am  greatly  honored 
also  to  address  the  distinquished  representatives  of  the  patriotic 
societies  whose  mission  it  is  to  preserve  the  sacred  memories  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

6s 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

No  one  ever  more  ardently  cherished  that  revolution  of  in 
dependence  and  liberty,  whose  purity  of  motives  remains  un 
surpassed;  no  one  ever  served  it  with  greater  fervor;  no  one 
has  worshipped  it  with  more  heartfelt  piety,  than  he  whose  birth 
you  are  celebrating  to-day. 

Others  may  say  what  he  did  on  the  fields  of  battle  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years.  What  I  wish  to  tell  you,  speaking  at. the  foot 
of  this  monument,  is  not  that  which  his  sword  brought  over  to 
America,  but,  rather,  that  which  his  heart  brought  back  to 
France.  For  it  is  not  only  the  generous  spontaneity  with  which 
lie  came  to  you,  that  causes  you  to  bless  his  memory;  it  is 
also  the  unfaltering  fidelity  with  which,  throughout  the  vicissi 
tudes  of  a  long  career  and  in  the  midst  of  most  troublous  times, 
he  never  ceased  to  belong  to  you.  He  remained  all  his  life  the 
aide-de-camp  of  General  Washington,  whom  he  loved,  as  you 
know,  with  the  tenderness  of  a  friend  and  the  respect  of  a  son. 
All  his  life  he  was  the  zealous  missionary  of  the  cause  of  which 
that  great  man  was  the  inspired  patriarch.  He  had  first  set 
foot  on  your  shores  filled  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  youth,  eager 
for  adventure,  seeking  fame ;  you  sent  him  back  to  us  with  a  soul 
truly  republican,  having  exchanged  his  courtly  manners  for 
democratic  simplicity — American  in  ideal  and  in  conduct. 

This  ideal,  which  was  yours  alone  at  that  time,  and  whose 
lofty  course  more  than  a  century  of  prosperity  has  not  retarded, 
he  proposed  to  his  country.  Through  his  example,  America 
became  popular  at  the  Court  of  Louis  XVI.  And  later  on,  when 
the  people  of  France,  swayed  by  the  spirit  of  the  century  and 
seized  in  their  turn  with  the  fever  of  Liberty,  wished  to  build 
upon  new  foundations  their  political  institutions  and  their  social 
code,  he  had  only  one  thought — to  induce  the  French  revolution 
to  adopt  the  principles  proclaimed  by  the  revolution  of  America, 
and  to  start  his  own  country  along  the  road  of  this  free  and 
democratic  gvernment,  of  which  your  United  States  were  then 
just  beginning  the  great  and  conclusive  experience. 

Read  the  Declaration  of  the  Rights  of  Man  and  Citizen,  which 
is  the  charter  of  our  public  rights,  and  of  which  Lafayette  was 
the  principal  author,  you  will  see  there  more  than  one  re- 

66 


Address  by  Count  Charles  de  Chambrun 

semblance  to  the  Declaration  of  Rights  of  Virginia.  Is  it  aston 
ishing  that  we  should  be  fighting  for  the  same  principles? 

On  the  morrow  of  the  fall  of  the  Bastile,  Lafayette  presented 
France  with  her  new  colors.  These  were,  by  a  providential 
coincidence,  which  he  was  the  first  to  perceive  and  to  rejoice 
ever,  the  three  colors  of  your  glorious  flag.  They  hat!  been,  in 
your  country,  the  symbol  of  national  independence;  with  us,  the 
emblem  of  political  liberty.  To-day,  illumined  by  the  sun  of 
victory  and  acclaimed  by  two  peoples  whom  they  inspire  with 
mutual  love,  they  float  together  over  the  battlefields  where  are 
being  decided  the  independence  and  liberty  of  all  nations. 

To  this  ideal,  to  these  principles,  to  this  flag,  he  was  invariably 
faithful.  He  was  the  enemy  of  absolutism  from  whatever  source, 
whether  it  issued  from  the  court,  from  the  omnipotence  of  an 
assembly  or  from  a  mob.  At  the  Tuileries,  as  at  the  Town  Hall 
of  Paris,  at  the  sessions  of  the  Constituante,  or  in  the  presence 
of  popular  uprisings,  and  even  in  the  dungeons  of  Prussia  and 
Austria,  where  he  was  confined  for  five  years  (for  the  despots 
of  Central  Europe  have  never  had  any  tenderness  for  those  who 
cherish  liberty)  everywhere  and  always,  in  good  fortune  as  in 
bad,  you  find  him  as  you  have  known  him,  as  you  have  loved 
him,  as  you  have  made  him. 

Such  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  Liberty  and  to  America  was 
bound  to  receive  its  reward.  America  was  generous  of  it.  When, 
in  1824,  he  came  to  pay  you  a  visit  and  to  say  farewell,  Wash 
ington  and  his  companions  in  arms  were  no  longer  there  to 
welcome  him :  but  he  saw  rise  from  the  new  generation,  like  a 
beneficent  harvest,  that  immense  gratitude  which  was  the  pride 
of  his  old  age  and  one  of  the  joys  of  France. 

It  was  reserved  to  our  generation,  however,  to  witness  more 
than  he  could  have  foreseen,  more  than  would  have  surpassed 
his  most  ambitious  dream:  The  United  States  sending  millions 
of  men  to  fight,  on  the  soil  of  France,  this  war  of  all  wars,  and 
help  humanity  to  win  its  suit. 

The  honorable  Secretary  of  the  Navy  has  most  eloquently 
recalled  the  historical  words  of  noble  General  John  Pershing 
when  he  was  led  to  the  family  cemetery  where  the  friend  of 
America  reposes.  No  Frenchman  will  ever  forget  them.  But 


Lafayette  Day  in  Washington 

allow  me  to  tell  you  something  more.  At  the  time  of  the  first 
Battle  of  the  Marne — four  years  ago  to  the  day — the  enemy 
penetrated  to  the  very  hedge  of  Lafayette's  property,  Lagrange. 
At  the  second  Battle  of  the  Marne,  they  did  not  succeed  in  ad 
vancing  so  far;  your  own  soldiers  were  there  protecting  the 
approach. 

Among  those  heroes  of  Chateau  Thierry  and  of  Fismes,  among 
those  who  combat  on  our  fields,  among  those  who  soar  in  our 
skies,  may  there  be  found  many  who  have  the  soul  of  Lafayette ; 
I  mean  to  say,  who  understand  and  love  the  land  of  France  as 
he  understood  and  loved  America.  That  is  the  wish  that  I 
express  at  the  end  of  this  touching  celebration.  Never  have  two 
countries  been  more  intimately  united  than  ours.  If  there  is  no 
written  pact  between  us,  there  is  a  great  act;  there  is  a  great 
fact.  Your  men  are  living  at  our  firesides,  and  defending  them. 
Your  dead  repose  in  our  meadows,  under  the  shadow  of  those 
thousands — those  hundreds  of  thousands — of  little  white  crosses, 
which  will  signify  to  future  generations  the  meaning  of  their 
native  land,  and  the  price  of  Liberty.  May  the  people  of  France 
and  the  people  of  America  forever  live,  according  to  the  words  of 
Washington,  "as  brothers  should  do,  in  harmonious  friend 
ship  !"  May  we,  like  our  victorious  soldiers,  forever  remain 
united,  through  life  and  unto  death,  a  la  vfo  et  a  la  mort! 


Benediction. 

The  Reverend  Doctor  Charles  Wood,  Pastor  of  the  Church 
of  the  Covenant,  Washington,  D.  C. 


March  "Lorraine,"  by  The  Marine  Band. 


68 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 


COMMITTEE  FOR  BOSTON  CELEBRATION 

Honorary   Chairman 
The  Honorable  ANDREW  J.  PETERS,  Mayor 

Honorary  Vice-Chairmen 

Major  HENRY  LEE  HIGGINSON 

Hon.  HENRY  CABOT  LODGE 

Mr.  MOORFIELD  STOREY 


Frank  W.  Remick 
John   R.    Macomber 
Daniel  M.  Prendergast 
Daniel   G.  Wing 
Alfred  L.   Aiken 
Thomas  P.  Beal 
Charles  E.   Rogerson 
Lindsay  Swift 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 
ADDISON  L.  WINSHIP,  Chairman 

Max  E.  Wyzanski 
Robert  S.  Weeks 
Hon.  Nelson  P.  Brown 
Hon.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy 
Louis  J.  A.  Mercier 
Prof.  Louis  Allard 
J.  C.  J.  Flamand 
William  H.  Farnsworth 
Frederick  H.  Prince 


Louis  E.  Crosscup 
George  Pierre  Erhard 
Frank  S.  Deland 
Thomas  W.   Murray 
Georges  Longy 
Hon.  Edmund  Billings 
Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  A.  Gordon 
George  Hale  Nutting 


diaries  J.  Martell 
Thomas  B.    Gannett 
W.  F.  Fitzgerald 


COMMITTEE   ON    ARRANGEMENTS 


N.  Penrose  Hallowell 
Franklin  W.  Ganse 
C.  Howard  Walker 
F.  E.  Mann 


G.  H.  Nutting 
L.  E.  Crosscup 
Bertram  G.  Waters 


COMMITTEE  ON  INVITATIONS  AND  MUSIC 

Robert  S.  Weeks  B.  Wendell,  Jr.  Hon.  Michael  J.  Sullivan 

»  William  E.  Chamberlain 


John  K.  Allen 


COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLICITY 

Herbert  M.  Aitken 
Ernest   S.    Butler 


John  Cutler 


IN  CHARGE  OF  USHERS 
Franklin  E.  Bancroft 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

BOSTON  CELEBRATION  OF 
LAFAYETTE  DAY 

and  of  the 
BATTLE  OF  THE  MARNE 


Faneuil  Hall,  Boston, 
Friday,  September  6,  1918. 

(Concert  by   Commonwealth   Pier   Band   of  U.   S.   Navy   from 

7:30  to  8.) 

Introductory  Remarks  by  His  Honor,  Mayor  Andrew  J.  Peters. 

Your  Excellency,  Fellow  Citizens :  It  is  indeed  a  privilege 
to  meet  here  to-night  in  this  historic  hall,  dedicated  as  it  is  in 
the  hearts  of  all  American  citizens  to  the  cause  of  Freedom,  to 
pay  our  obeisance  here  to  the  name  of  Lafayette.  (Applause.) 

Lafayette  belongs  to  two  countries  and  has  more  than  one 
title  to  distinction.  For  us  he  lives  as  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  American  republic.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  without 
the  aid  of  this  boy  under  twenty  the  independence  of  the 
colonies  might  not  have  been  achieved.  He  brought  us  not 
only  inspiration  but  substantial  assistance.  His  ship  laden  with 
supplies  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense;  his  skill  as  a  commander; 
his  loyalty  to  Washington  amid  temptation  and  intrigue;  his 
influence  in  securing  recognition  and  support  from  France;  and 
finally  his  insistence  upon  unity  of  command — so  that  Pershing. 
offering  his  army  to  Foch  at  the  hour  of  peril,  is  only  following 
the  chivalrous  example  of  Rochambeau,  who  subordinated  him 
self  to  Washington — those  services  of  the  young  Frenchman 
were  decisive  for  our  cause  and,  in  their  sum,  were  hardly  sur 
passed  by  those  of  any  native  patriot. 

Wre  rejoice  that  Americans  stood  side  by  side  with  the 
French  at  Chateau-Thierry  and  helped  to  turn  the  tide  that  is 
never  coming  back.  We  mourn  proudly  a  Chapman,  a  Lufbery, 
a  Prince,  and  many  others  who,  like  Lafayette,  violated  a  nominal 
neutrality  to  die  for  those  principles  about  which  none  of  us 
were  ever  really  neutral.  We  are  planning  now  to  send  to 


Address  by  Hon.  John.  J.  Bates 

France,  not  one  youth  of  nineteen,  but  all  that  may  be  needed 
until  France  and  the  world  are  made  free.     (Applause.) 

As  Mayor  of  this  city,  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you  here,  proud 
to  welcome  you  here,  and  it  is  my  privilege  to-night  to  introduce 
the  presiding  officer  of  this  meeting.  We  have  with  us  a 
gentlemen  whose  heart  and  soul  and  effort  has  been  given  with 
out  stint  to  the  people  of  this  Commonwealth,  who  has  always 
responded  to  the  opportunity  of  public  service,  and  who  to-night 
is  doing  us  the  honor  of  assisting  in  this  celebration.  I  am 
pleased  to  introduce  ex-Governor  Bates  to  you.  (Applause.) 

Remarks  by  Honorable  John  J.  Bates. 

Your  Honor,  Fellow  Citizens:  I  thank  the  Mayor  for  his 
gracious  introduction,  and  I  esteem  it  a  privilege  and  an  honor 
to  take  a  part,  even  though  it  be  a  small  part,  in  the  proceedings 
of  this  evening. 

This  morning  on  an  early  train,  I  left  the  salt  and  invigorat 
ing  atmosphere  of  Cape  Ann  and  came  up  on  the  train,  and  I 
noticed  that  there  were  several  empty  cars.  As  we  reached 
the  City  of  Lynn  and  looked  down  from  that  elevated  structure 
out  of  the  car  window,  I  noticed  that  the  great  Central  Square 
of  that  city,  where  ordinarily  the  tides  of  business  sweep  fast 
and  constantly,  seemed  to  be  stifled,  almost,  with  a  mass  of 
humanity  that  had  collected  in  the  Square.  There  was  a  band 
there,  and  the  platforms  of  the  station  were  crowded  with  men 
and  women,  And  I  saw  the  dress-suit  cases,  the  bags  and  the 
bundles,  and  I  looked  at  the  men,  and  I  knew  it  was  the  recruits 
wending  their  way  to  camp.  And  I  saw  the  exultant  but  tearful 
faces  of  the  women  as  they  were  bidding  them  good-bye — the 
mother  with  her  hair  streaked  with  gray  and  her  face  beginning 
to  be  wrinkled,  giving  her  blessing  to  the  boy  and  striving  to 
stifle  her  feelings;  I  saw  the  sisters  parting  from  the  loved 
brothers,  and  I  noticed  the  sweethearts  occasionally  giving  a 
farewell  kiss  to  the  ones  so  dear  to  them.  And  then  I  noticed  one 
or  two  men  handing  back  the  baby  to  the  wife,  and  the  little 
child  cooing  in  happiness,  little  realizing  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion  for  the  parents,  or  what  it  all  meant.  And  I  thought, 

71 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

these  boys  are  going  to  Boston,  and  then  they  are  going  to  Camp 
Devens,  and  then  they  are  going  over  to  the  beautiful  land  of 
the  tricolor,  and  there  they  are  going  to  keep  on  going,  fighting 
their  way  through,  until,  if  necessary,  they  shall  reach  Berlin 
(applause),  and  there  they  are  going  to  perform  or  help  to  per 
form  the  greatest  surgical  operation  that  was  ever  performed  on 
humanity  (applause) — and  humanity  is  going  to  be  free  from 
that  great  cancer  of  tyranny  and  autocracy  that  has  so  long  kept 
it  in  subjection. 

And  I  thought  that  I  did  not  wonder  that  occasionally  a 
tear  would  stream  down  the  faces  of  the  women-folks,  but  I  was 
glad  to  notice  that  the  men  looked  exultant,  determined,  willing, 
glad  to  go.  And  every  window  in  all  the  buildings  that  surround 
that  Square  seemed  filled  with  a  mass  of  faces.  Down  below 
they  were  upturned  to  get  a  last  view  of  the  cars  as  the  boys 
looked  out  from  the  windows  of  the  train.  And  then  all  of  a 
sudden  the  train  started  and  the  crowd  that  had  been  so  silent 
began  to  cheer,  and  the  boys  in  the  train  cheered  back,  and  then 
suddenly  the  band  lifted  up  its  instruments  and  began  to  burst 
forth  in  loud,  pealing  notes  of  the  National  Anthem,  and  every 
hat  down  in  the  Square  came  off  and  every  woman  seemed  to 
stand  at  attention.  And  something  that  I  never  noticed  before 
happened.  In  the  crowded  car,  and  through  that  crowded  train, 
as  if  but  one  person,  every  one  rose  to  their  feet,  and  as  the 
train  moved  on  they  all  stood  uncovered  as  long  as  they  could 
hear  any  of  the  strains  of  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner." 

It  was  a  scene  long  to  be  remembered,  and  yet  a  common 
scene  nowadays.  You  have  all  witnessed  it.  And  as  I  looked 
at  it  I  said,  "This  is  what  is  taking  place  at  a  thousand,  and  ten 
thousand  stations  throughout  these  great  United  States  this 
morning;  it  has  taken  place  before."  And  I  thought  of  General 
Pershing,  the  forerunner,  with  his  staff  of  American  troops, 
sta.nding  only  a  few  months  ago  with  only  a  few  Americans 
around  him  and  saying,  as  he  stood  with  uncovered  head  at  the 
tomb  of  the  great  Lafayete,  "Lafayette,  here  we  are  1"  (Applause) 
Then  there  were  5,000  Americans  in  France;  to-night  there  are 
1,600,000  Americans  in  France  helping  to  rid  her  soil  of  the 
tyrant.  Indeed,  Pershing  was  right. 

72 


Address  by  Hon.  John.  J.  Bates 

Lafayette,  here  we  are ;  America  with  all  her  manhood  is  on 
the  way — America,  a  thousand  times  larger  and  a  thousand  times 
more  powerful  than  in  the  old  days  when  you  fought  for  her,  is 
coming  over  to  bring  all  her  strength  and  all  her  might,  to  the 
end  that  the  principles  for  which  you  helped  her  to  fight  way 
back  in  1777  shall  not  be  defeated  but  shall  prevail  over  the 
principles  which  have  so  long  kept  humanity  in  chains.  (Ap 
plause.) 

And  then  it  came  to  me  that  this  wTas  Lafayette  Day,  the 
anniversary  of  his  birth,  and  how  he,  a  young  man  nineteen  years 
of  age,  had  left  a  wife  and  a  little  child  and  taken  a  vessel  that 
he  had  to  buy  himself — because  the  American  nation  was  too 
poor  to  furnish  him  with  transportation — a  vessel  that  he  called 
"Victory" — significant  of  this  day  as  wrell  as  of  the  days  of  the 
revolution — how  he  had  taken  that,  gone  aboard  with  other 
French  officers,  paid  all  the  expenses  and  started  for  the  New 
World,  to  the  end  that  he  might  give  the  glorious  cause  of 
America  all  the  assistance  within  his  power.  And  he  wrote  from 
the  cabin  of  the  Victory  to  that  wife  that  he  had  left  behind, 
"I  want  you,  for  my  sake,  to  become  a  good  American,  for  the 
welfare  of  all  the  world  is  bound  up  in  the  welfare  of  America.'' 
And  at  that  time  it  was  the  darkest  hour  of  the  American  Re 
volution.  He  tells  us  that  there  were  but  three  thousand  men 
in  the  American  Army  at  that  time — about  1/15  as  many  as  you 
keep  most  of  the  time  out  here  at  Camp  Devens — only  three 
thousand  men  in  all  the  American  Army.  And  yet  he,  with  an 
invincible  courage,  was  ready  to  come  and  offer  all  to  help  that 
little  army  as  against  the  hosts  and  the  great  power  of  England. 
And  so  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  with  full  significance  of  the  meaning 
of  the  struggle,  a  significance  that  had  not  dawned  upon  the 
kings  as  they  sat  upon  their  thrones,  or  upon  the  statesmen  of 
Europe — "the  welfare  of  all  the  world  is  bound  up  in  the  wel 
fare  of  America." 

So  we  do  well  through  the  City  of  Boston, — this  great  magnifi 
cent  City, — to  pause  and  to  come  together  in  this  old  Cradle  of 
Liberty  and  consider  some  of  our  debt  to  that  man  and  to  the  na 
tion  that  he  represented.  We  are  here  tonight,  then,  to  show  our 
respect  for  our  brothers  of  the  tricolor  across  the  sea,  and  for  the 

73 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

example  and  the  progressive  leadership  of  France  as  a  republic 
among  the  nations  of  Europe  for  many,  many  years.  We  are  here 
to  show  something  of  the  gratitude  that  we,  in  common  with  all 
the  peoples  of  civilization,  feel  to  that  nation  for  standing  at  the 
Thermopylae  of  the  Marne  and  holding  back  the  hordes  of  barbar 
ism  that  threaten  every  civilized  land.  And  we  are  here  to  show 
our  respect  for  the  great  spirit  of  the  leader  of  the  revolutionary 
times  v/ho  bound  by  his  example  and  by  his  sacrifice  our  two  na 
tions  so  close  together, — the  man  who  through  his  unselfish  life 
exhibited  the  ancient  Christian  principle  that  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive,  the  man  who  showed  the  world  that  he  had 
rather  live  in  poverty  under  liberty  than  in  luxury  under  tyranny, 
the  man  who  showed  the  world  that  he  had  rather  champion  the 
cause  of  the  downpressed  than  that  of  the  mighty  oppressor,  the 
man  who  showed  the  world  that  he  would  rather  help  bring  liberty 
to  mankind  than  to  dedicate  his  life  to  any  other  object  (Ap 
plause.) 

Oh,  if  Lafayette  were  here  tonight,  and  if  Mrs.  Lafayette  were 
here — for  you  know  that  after  he  went  back  to  France  he  gave  up 
all  his  titles  save  that  of  General ;  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
them — so  if  General  Lafayette  and  Mrs.  Lafayette  were  only  here 
tonight,  I  can  imagine  the  General  saying  to  her, — "Wife,  wasn't 
I  right  It  was  a  long,  long  time  ago,  wife, — you  and  I  were  young 
then,  I  was  only  nineteen,  you  had  a  little  child,  and  yet  I  left  you 
and  went  away  across  the  seas  and  exposed  myself  and  my  life 
in  order  that  I  might  champion  a  principle,  and  that  principle  was 
the  principle  of  liberty  for  the  people  and  of  the  right  to  self- 
government,  and  I  wrote  you,  wife,  that  I  did  that  because  I  be 
lieved  that  the  cause  of  America  was  bound  up  in  the  cause  of  the 
world.  And,  wife,  was  it  not  so?  That  was  over  140  years  ago, 
wife,  and  in  that  day  there  were  no  peoples  governing  themselves ; 
America  was  beginning  to  try  and  was  setting  the  example.  To 
night,  wife,  look:  All  over  this  world  that  has  changed  so  much 
since  we  were  here, — all  over  you  notice  that  among  45  independent 
sovereignties  that  27  of  them  are  now  republics,  only  18  of  them 
are  monarchies,  and  in  those  18  the  monarchs  have  lost  their  power 
to  the  people  in  every  instance  but  three.  There  has  been  a  great 
change,  wife.  Did  it  pay?  T  helped  bring  about  this  change  in 

74 


Address  by  Hon.  John.  J.  Bates 

the  government  of  the  world ;  I  helped  bring  liberty  to  all  the  peo 
ples  of  the  world. 

"And,  wife,  do  you  remember  that  when  I  came  back  from 
America  I  hung  up  in  my  library  a  framed  copy  of  the  Constitu 
tion  of  the  United  States,  and  I  left  a  blank  space  on  the  wall  be 
side,  and  you  asked  me  what  I  left  the  blank  space  there  for  and  1 
said  I  left  it  to  hang  there  a  copy  of  the  constitution  of  France? 
And,  do  you  know,  wife,  in  a  few  years  France  had  a  constitu 
tion, — she  copied  America's, — a  constitution  that  said  how  far  the 
rulers  should  go  and  no  further,  and  that  the  liberties  of  the  peo 
ple  shall  be  protected.  Why,  wife,  when  America  adopted  her 
constitution  there  was  not  a  constitutional  government  in  the  world. 
No  people  had  the  protection  of  a  written  constitution.  But  now, 
wife,  140  years  have  gone  since  the  days  I  went  to  America,  and 
now  throughout  the  world  there  is  not  a  nation  but  what  has 
adopted  the  American  idea  of  a  constitution  to  protect  the  people's 
liberties.  To  be  sure,  wife,  there  are  a  few  exceptional  nations 
that  did  not  adopt  the  right  kind  of  a  constitution;  they  were  not 
quite  complete,  and  they  were  designed  to  only  satisfy  the  people 
and  to  save  revolution;  but  the  other  nations  have  got  constitu 
tions  that  protect  them,  and  these  that  have  not  will  soon  have 
them,  because  that  is  the  trend  of  the  times.  And  wife,  you  re 
member  in  those  days,  way  back  when  I  went  to  America,  that  after 
T  came  back  I  went  to  our  king  and  I  demanded  that  the  staff  gen 
erals  should  be  called  together.  Do  you  remember  that  in  those 
days  there  was  not  a  representative  parliament  in  the  world?  The 
British  parliament  was  not  representative.  Ten  thousand  people  in 
England  elected  all  the  members  of  the  House  of  Commons ;  it  was 
not  a  representative  parliament.  And  there  was  none  in  the  world. 
Do  you  know,  wife,  that  in  France  we  had  had  one  way  back,  but 
no  king  had  allowed  it  to  come  together  for  171  years;  and  when  I 
came  back  from  America  I  said,  "King,  in  the  name  of  the  people 
I  demand  that  you  call  together  the  staff  generals" ;  and  he  said, 
as  the  result  of  my  importunity,  that  he  would  do  it.  And  in  1789, 
after  a  vacation  or  recess  of  173  years,  the  king  called  together  that 
representative  body  of  the  French  people.  A.nd  now  we  have  it 
here.  There  was  no  representative  body  anywhere  else  in  the 
world.  Tomght  there  is  not  a  nation,  be  it  in  Europe  or  in  Asia. 

75 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

but  what  has  a  representative  parliament  to  make  the  laws  for  the 
people  in  order  to  protect  their  liberties. 

"And,  wife,  do  you  remember  one  other  thing,  too?  Do  you 
remember  in  those  days  kings  were  absolute  tyrants  and  that  no 
one  could  gainsay  them?  And,  wife,  America  set  the  example 
when  I  was  over  there  fighting  with  the  idea  that  rulers  should 
be  elected  by  the  people  and  that  in  the  course  of  a  limited  time 
they  should  be  returned  to  the  people  and  the  people  should  have 
the  right  to  change  them,  and  there  should  be  no  hereditary  mon- 
archs  ruling  by  so-called  divine  right  but  that  the  right  must  come 
from  the  people.  Wife,  today,  with  the  exception  of  three  coun 
tries  there  is  no  nation  but  what  has  either  a  president  or  an  execu 
tive  corresponding  to  a  president  elected  for  a  limited  term,  re 
sponsible  to  the  people ;  or,  if  they  still  retain  the  semblance  of  a 
monarchy,  the  monarch  is  subject  practically  to  the  powers  of  the 
ministry,  and  it  is  the  ministry  who  are  responsible  to  the  people, 
and  when  things  do  not  go  to  satisfy  them  the  ministry  has  a 
change.  And,  wife,  the  only  three  rations  that  have  not  come  to 
this  new  order  of  things  in  the  world  and  adopted  these  ideas  of 
constitutional,  representative  government,  and  the  responsibility  of 
the  ministry,  are  the  nations  of  Germany  and  of  Austria  and  of 
Turkey,  who  have  a  form  of  a  constitution  that  is  not  one  that 
protects  the  people,  and  who  have  a  ministry  that  is  responsible  to 
the  king  only  and  not  to  the  people.  But,  wife,  see, — these  na 
tions  are  gasping  for  breath;  the  allies,  who  represent  the  great 
principles  that  America  started,  are  moving  on,  and  there  is  com 
ing  a  downfall  of  those  who  represent  the  other  form  of  govern 
ment.  (Applause.) 

"I  said  141  years  ago  that  the  welfare  of  the  world  was  bound 
up  in  the  welfare  of  America.  I  prophecied  truly,  wife.  And  now 
I  prophecy  that  autocracy  is  dying  but  democracy  lives.  T  prophecy 
that  the  tyrant  is  dead.  Liberty  wins."  (Great  applause). 

We  shall  now  have  a  most  pleasant  change  in  listening:  to  one 
of  the  sweetest  singers  in  Boston — Miss  Elsie  Thiede.  The  audi 
ence  is  requested  to  join  in  singing  the  chorus. 

(Singing  of  Star  Spangled  Banner  by  Miss  Elsie  Thiede,  the 
audience  joining  in  the  chorus). 

76 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DcCourcy. 

Ex-Gov.  BATES  :  Massachusetts  has  ever  had  reason  to  think 
highly  of  her  judicial  officers.  Her  Supreme  Court  ranks  equal 
to  that  of  any  in  the  land — and  this  is  not  the  verdict  merely  of 
her  citizens  but  of  the  bench  and  bar  from  every  State  in  the 
Union.  And  among  the  members  of  the  Supreme  Bench,  there  is 
none  who  has  acquitted  himself  with  greater  credit  to  the  Com 
monwealth,  who  has  more  of  the  respect  of  the  bench  and  the  bar, 
or  who  has  more  of  the  love  of  all  who  know  him  than  the  one 
who  is  next  to  address  you.  A  son  of  Massachusetts — Mr.  Justice 
Charles  A.  DeCourcy  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State.  (Ap 
plause)  . 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen :  An  evening  in  August,  1776,  very  soon 
after  our  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  commandant  of  the 
military  garrison  at  Metz,  France,  was  giving  a  dinner  in  honor  of 
the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  a  brother  of  King  George  III.  The  Duke 
had  been  banished  by  reason  of  an  unapproved  marriage  into 
which  he  had  entered,  and  at  this  dinner  of  a  select  company  was 
rather  free  in  criticizing  his  brother's  conduct  in  prosecuting  the 
war  against  the  American  colonists. 

Among  the  guests  was  a  youth  scarcely  nineteen  years  of  age, 
an  officer  of  the  musketeers,  who  became  intensely  interested  in 
what  the  Duke  said  in  reference  to  the  conflict  and  the  time  and 
purposes  of  the  colonists.  And  he  asked  the  Duke  many  questions, 
evincing  a  tremendous  interest  and  wanting  to  know  more  about 
the  subject.  Many  years  afterwards  this  young  man  told  our 
historian  Sparks,  the  biographer  of  Washington,  explaining  what 
occurred  that  might — let  us  quote  his  own  words: 

"The  cause  seemed  to  him  just  and  noble  from  the  rep 
resentations  of  the  Duke  himself;  and  before  he  left  the 
table  the  thought  came  into  his  head  that  he  would  go  to 
America  and  offer  his  services  to  a  people  who  were  strug 
gling  for  freedom  and  independence.  From  that  hour  he 
could  think  of  nothing  but  this  enterprise,  and  he  resolved 
to  go  to  Paris  to  make  further  inquiries." 

77 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

This  youth  was  Gilbert  du  Motier,  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  (Ap 
plause),  born  161  years  ago  today  of  one  of  the  noblest  families 
of  all  the  ancient  French  nobility.  His  fahter  had  been  killed  at 
the  head  of  his  band  of  grenadiers  but  two  months  before  his 
birth.  At  thirteen  he  lost  his  mother,  leaving  him  with  no  near 
relative  in  the  world,  and  with  a  large  fortune.  At  sixteen  he  mar 
ried  the  daughter  of  Due  d'Ayen,  the  head  of  the  old  family  of 
de  Noailles — one  of  the  greatest  families  of  France.  The  offer 
was  made  to  him,  only  to  be  rejected,  that  he  take  the  position  to 
which  his  family  associations  entitled  him  of  the  leading  courtier 
at  the  palace  of  the  king.  He  preferred  to  go  to  the  military  school 
of  Versailles,  where  the  sons  of  the  nobility  were  trained  for  mili 
tary  service,  and  to  enter  upon  the  profession  of  arms,  in  which 
the  members  of  his  family  had  been  eminent  from  the  days  long 
back,  dating  to  the  Crusades. 

If  we  seek  the  influence  which  moved  this  scion  of  nobility  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  a  strange  people  seeking  self-government,  I 
think  we  shall  find  it  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  wife — the 
letter  to  which  Governor  Bates  has  just  referred — written  during 
that  long  and  tiresome  voyage  in  La  Victoire  on  the  way  to 
America.  And  to  his  wife,  speaking  in  the  intimacy  of  his  heart, 
he  said : 

"As  the  defender  of  that  liberty  which  I  adore,  free 
myself  beyond  all  others,  coming  as  a  friend  to  offer  my 
services  to  this  most  interesting  republic,  I  bring  with  me 
nothing  but  my  own  free  heart  and  my  own  goodwill,  no 
ambition  to  fulfil  and  no  selfish  interest  to  serve;  if  I  am 
striving  for  my  own  glory,  I  am  at  the  same  time  laboring 
for  its  welfare.  *  *  *  The  happiness  of  America  is  in 
timately  connected  with  the  happiness  of  all  mankind;  she 
is  destined  to  become  the  safe  and  venerable  asylum  of 
virtue,  of  honesty,  of  tolerance,  of  equality  and  of  peaceful 
liberty."  (Applause). 

Lafayette  meant  to  act,  and  he  set  out  at  once  and  put  into 
practical  operation  his  decision  to  help  the  struggling  colonists. 
At  that  time  France  and  England,  you  know,  were  at  peace,  and 
it  was  only  by  the  secret  connivance  of  the  court  that  Deane  and 
Franklin  and  Lee  later  weie  able  to  get  the  aid  that  they  did  get 

78 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

from  the  French  people,  and  to  buy  the  necessary  supplies  for  our 
army  in  the  markets  of  France.  At  this  time,  with  the  connivance 
of  the  government,  it  was  intended  to  fit  out  a  vessel  and  send  it 
with  supplies  for  the  benefit  of  the  Continental  army.  But  about 
that  time  came  one  of  those  frequent  news  reports  from  here  tell 
ing  of  defeat  and  disaster.  Washington  had  suffered  at  Long 
Island,  White  Plains  and  Fort  Washington.  It  did  not  seem  a 
proper  and  wise  time  for  the  King  of  France  to  espouse  the  cause 
of  the  United  States.  And  Lafayette  soon  became  known  to  the 
keen  ambassador  of  England  at  Paris,  Lord  Stormond — as  being 
actively  interested  in  planning  some  aid  for  this  country,  and  at 
once  very  pertinent  objections  were  lodged  with  the  French  court 
against  any  aid  from  the  French  people,  and  especially  from  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette.  And  the  King  felt  compelled  to  send  word 
to  Lafayette  that  he  must  resist  any  temptation  to  help  the  colo 
nists,  he  must  refrain  from  giving  the  aid  that  he  contemplated 
and  must  return  to  his  studies  at  Versailles.  And  that  opposition 
\vas  seconded  by  the  equally  strong  opposition  of  his  father-in-law. 

But  opposition  only  made  the  purpose  of  Lafayette  the  stronger. 
Finding  that  the  government  was  not  going  to  supply  the  need  or 
fit  out  the  contemplated  vessel,  from  his  own  funds  he  purchased 
the  vessel  known  as  La  Victorie  and  sent  her  to  Bourdeaux  to  be 
prepared  and  fitted  out  for  the  trip  to  America.  Through  Frank 
lin  he  met  Major  De  Kalb,  or  Baron  De  Kalb,  who  had  been  here 
and  who  was  an  experienced  soldier  in  the  French  army.  He  in 
terested  many  other  of  the  young  nobility  of  France  with  military 
ambition  and  experience  and  prepared  to  sail  from  Bourdeaux 
when  word  came  that  the  king  peremptorily  ordered  him  to  imme 
diately  report  for  duty  at  Versailles  and  desist  from  further  effort. 
Lafayette  realized  then  that  his  plan  was  likely  to  be  defeated. 
He  suspended  the  work  then  being  done  in  fitting  out  his  vessel, 
and  with  her  sailed  from  the  harbor  of  Bourdeaux  and  went  to  the 
coast  of  Spain,  putting  in  at  the  harbor  of  Los  Pasajes,  nearby 
the  French  border,  and  then  he  came  back  in  answer  to  the  order 
of  the  king  and  reported  in  person.  And  then  again  he  used  all  his 
efforts  and  all  his  influence  to  obtain  from  the  king  consent  to  pro 
ceed  with  his  efforts ;  but  in  vain. 

And  then  this  youth  of  nineteen,  imbued  with  the  love  of  lib- 

79 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

erty  and  determined  to  aid  a  liberty-seeking  people,  set  at  defiance 
the  orders  of  his  monarch,  cast  aside  the  hope  of  preferment  in  the 
great  court  of  the  king,  went  in  disguise,  escaped  the  messengers 
of  the  king,  reached  the  Spanish  port  and  then  went  aboard  La 
Victoire  with  De  Kalb  and  some  other  officers  and  sailed  for 
America  on  the  2Oth  day  of  April,  1/77.  As  you  know,  he  landed 
on  the  coast  of  South  Carolina. 

lie  undertook  then  to  make  his  way  to  Philadelphia,  where  the 
Continental  Congress  was  in  session.  Starting  out  in  great  state 
with  a  carriage,  he  found  some  difficulty  in  finally  ending  his  900- 
mile  journey  even  on  horseback,  and  arrived  in  a  sore-distressed  con 
dition  at  Philadelphia  and  sent  in  word  to  the  Congress  of  his 
arrival.  His  reception  was  anything  but  cordial.  Congress  had 
grown  rather  impatient  with  the  class  of  men  that  our  Commis 
sioner  Deane  had  been  sending  over  with  promises  of  commissions, 
with  promises  of  large  salaries — men  who  were  taken  up  by  Con 
gress  and  tested,  only  to  be  found  wanting.  But  Lafayette,  with 
the  patience  that  comes  to  men  of  his  size,  sent  into  Congress  this 
manly  protest: 

"After  the  sacrifices  1  have  made  I  have  a  right  to  exact 
two  favors ;  one  is  to  serve  at  my  own  expense — the  other 
is  to  serve  at  first  as  a  volunteer." 

Then,  with  such  a  manly  letter  before  them,  Congress  felt  called 
upon  to  examine  into  the  credentials  and  learn  what  this  young 
man  was,  what  sacrifices  he  had  been  making,  what  promises  he 
brought  with  him ;  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  afterwards  when 
he  was  voted  a  commission  as  Major  General  in  the  Colonial 
Army,  although  at  that  time  not  given  any  particular  troops  under 
his  command.  Within  a  few  days  later  he  met  Washington  at 
Philadelphia,  and  immediately  the  spark  of  friendship  was  kindled, 
which  became  more  and  more  intimate  between  those  two  men 
and  which  proved  such  a  tremendous  advantage  and  solace  to 
them  both  while  both  of  them  remained  on  earth. 

Time  will  not  permit  tonight  to  dwell  upon  the  next  two  years' 
activities  of  Lafayette  in  the  army.  We  know  he  fought  valiantly 
at  Brandywine,  and  suffered  a  rather  severe  wound  in  the  leg  which 
confined  him  in  the  hospital  for  a  few  weeks;  that  he  fought,  too. 

80 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

with  distinction  at  Gloucester,  Barren  Hill,  Monmouth,  and  else 
where. 

In  December  of  that  year — 1777 — he  was  appointed  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  Virginia  Division  of  the  Continental  Army.  In  the 
winter  of  1777-1778  he  shared  with  Washington  the  privations 
and  hardships  of  Valley  Forge.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of  that 
impracticable  contemplated  expedition  to  Canada  that  grew  out 
of  the  Conway  Cabal.  During  the  disagreements  that  arose  with 
the  ill-starred  Comte  D'Estaigne's  expedition,  especially  in  con 
nection  with  the  siege  of  Newport,  his  intervention  was  invaluable 
in  keeping  alive  good  feelings  between  the  Americans  and  their 
allies.  And  then  late  in  the  fall  of  1778,  disinclined  to  spend  the 
long,  dreary  winter  in  camp  inactive,  he  asked  leave  to  go  back  to 
France  to  see  his  wife  and  child,  to  whom  he  had  not  had  a  chance 
to  bid  farewell  when  he  came,  and  to  get  that  assistance  which  only 
he  could  obtain  in  France,  because,  as  we  shall  see,  in  the  spring  of 
1778  the  treaty  of  alliance  had  been  formed  between  France  and 
America,  and  no  longer  was  France  a  neutral  in  our  war. 

In  passing  this  furlough,  Congress  passed  a  resolution  which 
tells  in  its  own  way  the  appreciation  held  by  our  people  of  what 
those  two  years  by  Lafayette  meant  to  the  American  cause.  And 
here  are  the  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  That  the  marquis  de  la  Fayette,  major  gen 
eral  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  have  leave  to  go  to 
France ;  and  that  he  return  at  such  time  as  shall  be  most 
convenient  to  him. 

"Resolved,  That  the  president  write  a  letter  to  the  mar 
quis  de  la  Fayette,  returning  him  the  thanks  of  Congress 
for  that  disinterested  zeal  which  led  him  to  America,  and 
for  the  services  he  hath  rendered  to  the  United  States  by 
the  exertion  of  his  courage  and  abilities  on  many  signal 
occasions. 

"Resolved,  That  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the 
United  States  of  America  of  the  court  of  Versailles  be  di 
rected  to  cause  an  elegant  sword,  with  proper  devices  to  be 
made  and  presented,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  to 
the  marquis  de  la  Fayette." 

That  ends  the  first  period  of  our  hero's  services  in  America.  La 
fayette  sailed  from  this  port  of  Boston  on  the  nth  of  January, 

81 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

1779.     You  will  remember  the  treaty  of  alliance  had  been  carried 
through  between  France  and  America  the  April  before. 

And  now  Lafayette  spent  a  year  in  his  own  land,  in  1779,  doing 
such  invaluable  service  to  the  colonies  as  no  other  living  man  could 
have  done.  This  was  due  to  his  friendship  with  his  king,  the  offi 
cers  of  the  ministry,  the  strong  love  and  affection  borne  towards 
him  by  the  entire  French  people.  They  were  troubled  days  not 
only  here  but  in  France,  and  it  required  the  unremitting  efforts  of 
Franklin  and  of  Lafayette  to  obtain  from  time  to  time  from  France 
the  needed  funds  for  carrying  on  operations  here.  It  was  during 
that  year  that  he  took  up  with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs — 
Comte  de  Vergennes — a  plan  for  a  second  expedition  to  x\merica, 
and  in  every  way  aided  in  whatever  could  be  done  to  help  the  en 
feebled  cause  of  the  colonists.  And  when  he  came  back  to  America 
in  the  spring  of  1780  he  came  bringing  tiding  to  Washington  that 
ships  and  troops  were  promised  him  and  soon  would  be  on  their 
way  to  our  shores.  And,  indeed,  in  the  July  following  there  came 
Comte  de  Rochambeau  with  a  fleet  of  seven  ships  of  the  line  and 
two  frigates,  convoying  transports  with  more  than  5,000  soldiers. 
Unfortunately,  the  second  expedition  which  was  promised,  and 
which  \vas  really  needed  to  make  the  first  one  effective  for  any 
operations  here,  could  not  be  sent  by  reason  of  the  then  condition 
in  France,  and  even  the  fleet  sent  over  with  Rochambeau  was 
penned  up  in  Narragansett  Bay  by  the  new  fleet  that  come  over 
from  England. 

Now  we  go  to  1780,  after  he  carne  back.  I  think  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  that  year,  from  the  summer  of  1780  to  the  sum 
mer  of  1781,  was  the  darkest  time  of  the  many  dark  days  of  our 
revolution.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  in  New  York  with  12,000  well- 
equipped  troops,  many  of  them  Germans,  making  it  impossible  for 
the  colonials  of  the  Northern  and  Southern  States  to  cooperate 
with  their  forces ;  and  against  him  Washington,  with  his  3,000 
discouraged  patriots,  hung  on  the  heights  of  the  Hudson  River. 
In  the  Southern  States  Cornwallis  was  at  the  head  of  superior 
forces.  Lord  Roydon  was  holding  Charleston ;  the  traitor  Arnold 
was  ravishing  Virginia ;  Gates  had  been  routed  at  Camden,  and 
De  Kalb  had  been  killed.  And  against  this  overwhelming  loss, 
Lafayette  and  Green  and  Morgan  fought  the  fight  with  fearful 

82 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

odds.  How  hopeless  the  condition  of  the  colonists  was  at  that 
time  cannot  be  better  expressed  than  in  the  words  of  the  great 
Washington  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  in  April  of  1781  to  Col. 
John  Laurens,  whom  he  had  sent  over  to  France  for  additional 
aid.  He  wrote: 

"If  France  delays  a  timely  and  powerful  aid  in  the  crit 
ical  posture  of  our  affairs,  it  will  avail  us  nothing  should 
she  attempt  it  hereafter.  We  are  at  this  hour  suspended 
in  the  balance;  not  from  choice,  but  from  hard  and  absolute 
necessity;  and  you  may  rely  on  it  as  a  fact,  that  we  cannot 
transport  the  provisions  from  the  States  in  which  they  are 
assessed  to  the  army,  because  we  cannot  pay  the  teamsters, 
who  will  no  longer  work  for  certificates.  It  is  equally  cer 
tain  that  our  troops  are  approaching  fast  to  nakedness,  and 
that  we  have  nothing  to  clothe  them  with ;  that  our  hospitals 
are  without  medicines  and  our  sick  without  nutriment  ex 
cept  such  as  well  men  eat;  and  that  our  public  works  are 
at  a  stand,  and  the  artificers  disbanding.  But  why  need  I 
run  into  detail,  when  it  may  be  declared  in  a  word,  that  we 
are  at  the  end  of  our  tether,  and  that  now  or  never  our  de 
liverance  must  come." 

And  on  June  16  that  same  year,  Rochambeau  wrote  to  the 
Comte  de  Grasse,  who  had  charge  of  the  French  fleet  then  in  the 
West  Indies,  as  follows : 

"General  Washington  has  about  a  handful  of  men — this 
country  has  been  driven  to  bay,  and  all  its  resources  are 
given  out  at  last.  The  Continental  money  has  been  annihi 
lated." 

And  he  urged  with  all  the  force  he  had  upon  the  Admiral  to  come 
up  frcm  the  West  Indies  with  his  fleet,  to  bring  with  him  such 
land  forces  as  he  could  gather  in  order  that  the  country  might  be 
saved. 

What  answer  did  France  make  to  this  demand?  France,  which 
at  that  time  had  a  treasury  almost  in  a  bankrupt  condition  herself, 
in  response  to  the  urgent  request  of  Col.  Laurens,  advanced 
6,000,000  livres  tournois,  in  addition  to  8,000,000  which  were  bor 
rowed  by  us,  but  only  on  the  guarantee  of  the  French  government. 
Comte  de  Grasse  left  the  West  Indies  on  the  5th  of  August,  bring 
ing  with  him  a  fleet  of  twenty-eight  ships,  bringing  with  him  all 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

the  land  forces  he  could  borrow  from  the  Islands,  and  after  he 
had  pledged  his  own  personal  responsibility  for  the  necessary 
money  to  pay  the  expenses.  When  he  was  off  the  coast  of  Vir 
ginia  he  met  the  English  fleet  of  about  equal  size — twenty  ships 
and  seven  frigates.  The  Admiral's  men  used  to  say  of  de  Grasse: 
"Our  Admiral  is  six  feet  tall  on  ordinary  days,  and  six  feet  six 
on  battle  days."  And  so  the  English  found.  In  a  fight  on  Septem 
ber  5th  he  sunk  the  Terrible  of  seventy-four  guns,  he  sunk  the 
4O-gun  frigates  Iris  and  Richmond,  he  compelled  the  British  fleet 
to  retreat  to  New  York,  and  then  he  blocked  Cornwallis  from 
escape  by  sea  from  the  position  where  he  had  entrenched  himself 
at  Yorktown  and  Gloucester.  (Applause). 

In  the  meantime,  Washington,  with  the  instincts  of  a  military 
genius,  knowing  that  de  Grasse  was  coming  to  Yorktown,  got  word 
to  Rochambeau  in  Rhode  Island  to  bring  his  7,000  men  overland 
and  meet  him  at  King's  Bridge,  New  York.  There  they  went 
through  the  pretence  of  preparing  for  an  attack  on  Clinton,  in 
New  York,  and  they  so  completely  deceived  him  that  he  did  not 
know  until  they  were  well  on  their  way  overland  to  Virginia  what 
their  plan  was,  and  it  was  then  too  late  for  him  to  go  to  the  aid 
of  Cornwallis.  The  artillery  for  seige  purposes,  which  had  been 
brought  over  from  France  by  Rochambeau,  was  brought  around 
by  water  in  time  for  the  siege.  In  the  meantime,  Lafayette,  acting 
under  the  orders  of  Washington,  had  so  posted  his  troops  that  the 
British  army  was  held  fast  on  the  land  side.  And  this,  by-the-way, 
was  the  last  movement  of  his  as  an  independent  commander  in 
America.  And  then  under  the  lead  of  Washington,  ably  seconded 
by  the  veteran  of  sieges,  Rochambeau,  aided  by  the  brilliant  French 
man,  none  the  less  brave  than  LaFayette  himself,  began  that  seige 
of  Yorktown  which  culminated  on  the  iQth  of  October,  1781,  in 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  with  8,000  men,  800  sailors,  214  guns 
and  22  flags.  (Applause). 

After  the  fall  of  Yorktown,  of  which  I  will  speak  more  in  a 
moment,  Lafayette  again  obtained  leave  to  spend  the  winter  in 
France.  And  that  leave  was  granted  again  by  resolutions  of  Con 
gress  in- these  words: 

"Resolved,  That  Major  General  the  marquis  de  la  Fay- 
ette  have  permission  to  go  to  France;  and  that  he  return  at 
such  time  as  shall  be  most  convenient  to  him : 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

"That  he  be  informed,  that  on  a  review  of  his  conduct 
throughout  the  past  campaign,  and  particularly  during  the 
period  in  which  he  had  the  chief  command  in  Virginia,  the 
many  new  proofs  which  present  themselves  of  his  zealous 
attachment  to  the  cause  he  has  espoused,  and  of  his  judg 
ment,  vigilance,  gallantry  and  address  in  its  defence,  have 
greatly  added  to  the  high  opinion  entertained  by  Congress 
of  his  merits  and  military  talents : 

"Ordered.  That  the  superintendent  of  finance  furnish 
the  marquis  de  la  Fayette  with  a  proper  conveyance  to 
France." 

And  there  came  from  the  French  Minister  of  War  on  the  5th 
day  of  December,  1781,  a  letter  which  in  part  is  as  follows: 

"The  King  having  been  informed,  sir,  of  the  military 
skill  of  which  you  have  given  repeated  proof  in  the  com 
mand  of  the  various  army  corps  intrusted  to  you  in  Amer 
ica,  of  the  wisdom  and  prudence  which  have  marked  the 
services  that  you  have  performed  in  the  interest  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  the  confidence  which  you  have  won 
from  General  Washington,  his  Majesty  has  charged  me  to 
announce  to  you  that  the  commendations  which  you  most 
fully  deserve  have  attracted  his  notice,  and  that  your  con 
duct  and  your  success  have  given  him,  sir,  the  most  favor 
able  opinion  of  you,  such  as  you  might  wish  him  to  have, 
and  upon  which  you  may  rely  for  his  future  good  will.  His 
Majesty,  in  order  to  give  you  a  particular  and  flattering 
mark  of  favor,  promises  you  the  rank  of  Marechal  de  Camp 
in  his  armies,  to  be  enjoyed  by  you  after  the  war  in  America 
shall  be  ended,  at  such  time  as  you  shall  leave  the  service 
of  the  United  States  to  return  to  that  of  His  Majesty. 

"By  virtue  of  this  decision,  you  will  be  considered  as 
Marechal  de  Camp  from  the  date  of  the  surrender  of  Gen 
eral  Cornwallis  after  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  on  the  igth 
of  October  of  the  present  year,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  you 
then  held  that  rank  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  ot 
America." 

That  ended  Lafayette's  military  services.  He  sailed  from  the 
port  of  Boston  on  the  23rd  day  of  December,  1781,  a  General, 
24  years  of  age.  This  is  not  the  occasion  to  dwell  upon  the  stir 
ring  and  romantic  life  of  Lafayette  after  he  returned  to  his  own 
lanc] — his  efforts  during  the  French  Revolution,  and  indeed  later 
in  the  uprising  of  1830,  his  refusal  to  bend  the  knee  to  Napoleon 

85 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

when  he  sought  autocratic  control,  his  sufferings  in  the  dungeons 
of  Prussia  and  Austria,  and  his  position  as  a  trusted  leader  of  the 
French  people  up  to  the  very  day  of  his  death  in  1834.  But  we 
may  spend  a  moment  in  recalling  the  fact  that  he  came  back  to 
us — first  in  October  of  1784,  when  at  the  invitation  of  Washington 
he  came  back  to  visit — and  it  was  during  that  visit,  by-the-way, 
that  the  third  anniversary  of  the  fall  of  Yorktown  was  celebrated 
in  this  historic  hall,  with  General  Lafayette  the  guest  of  honor, 
and  the  officials  of  the  city  and  the  State  doing  honor  to  him. 
(Applause). 

He  came  again,  as  you  know,  when  he  was  along  in  years — 
some  65  or  66  years  of  age — in  1824 — At  that  time,  in  response  to 
a  request  of  President  Monroe,  issued  upon  the  orders  of  Con 
gress.  Then  he  spent  a  year  among  us,  which  was  one  continued 
ovation  given  by  the  American  people  in  recognition  of  his  invalu 
able  services  during  the  Revolution.  And  there  again  we  are  re 
minded  that  it  was  during  that  visit  that  he  was  present  and  actu 
ally  laid  the  cornerstone  at  Bunker  Hill  Monument  on  the  I7th  of 
June,  1825,  and  Daniel  Webster,  the  orator  of  that  occasion,  took 
occasion  to  address  him  in  these  words : 

"Fortunate,  fortunate  man !  with  what  measure  of  de 
votion  will  you  not  thank  God  for  the  circumstances  of 
your  extraordinary  life!  You  are  connected  with  both 
hemispheres  and  with  two  generatons.  Heaven  saw  fit  to 
ordain,  that  the  electric  spark  of  liberty  should  be  conducted, 
through  you,  from  the  New  World  to  the  Old,  and  we,  who 
are  now  here  to  perform  this  duty  of  patriotism,  have  all 
of  us  long  ago  received  it  in  charge  from  our  fathers  to 
cherish  your  name  and  your  virtues."  (Applause). 

What  further  need  of  eulogy?  The  best  eulogy  we  can  give 
for  that  aid  he  rendered  us  in  the  Revolution  is  this  plain  story  of 
his  life  among  us,  and  the  best  evidence  of  our  grateful  affection 
is  the  fact  that  from  that  day  to  this  his  name  has  been  enshrined 
in  the  hearts  of  the  American  people  alongside  that  of  the  sainted 
Washington.  (Applause).  History  records  no  character  that 
surpasses  him  for  love  of  liberty,  romantic  chivalry,  unbounded 
generosity  and  unwavering  devotion. 

The  surrender  of  Bourgoyne  at  Yorktown  virtually  secured  the: 

86 


Address  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  DeCourcy. 

independence  of  America.  As  Tarleton  wrote  in  his  History  of 
the  Campaigns,  this  "superiority  at  sea  proved  a  strength  to  the 
enemies  of  Great  Britain,  deranged  the  plans  of  her  generals,  dis 
heartened  the  courage  of  her  friends,  and  finally  confirmed  the 
independence  of  America."  The  elated  French  and  Spanish  na 
tions  planned  a  mighty  campaign  against  England  which  rendered 
it  advisable  for  her  to  conclude  with  us  a  treaty  of  peace;  it  was 
largely  in  consequence  of  that  growing  zeal  from  Yorktown  that 
England  began  negotiations  for  peace,  and  the  very  next  year 
after  Yorktown,  under  Lord  Shelburne's  ministry,  the  independ 
ence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged.  (Applause). 

In  recognizing  the  invaluable  aid  rendered  by  the  Marquis  de 
Lafayette,  we  are  not  unmindful  of  the  credit  due  to  the  other 
brilliant  Frenchmen  who  came  to  our  assistance,  and  to  the  great 
country  of  which  they  were  citizens.  Unquestionably  it  was  the 
participation  of  France  in  the  war  of  independence  that  made 
American  liberty  possible  in  the  i8th  century.  When,  in  1778, 
following  the  decisive  victory  at  Saratoga,  she  made  the  treaty  of 
alliance  with  the  colonists,  the  conflict  ceased  to  be  one  for  the 
suppression  of  a  mutiny,  and  became  a  war  between  the  British 
Monarchy  on  the  one  hand  and  the  American  people  and  the  King 
of  France  on  the  other.  The  outcome  of  that  was  settled  at  York- 
town.  From  an  almost  bankrupt  treasury  France  gave  millions  of 
pounds  to  supply  our  urgent  needs,  and  she  gave  the  blood  of  her 
best  sons  to  carry  on  our  battles — and  she  never  once  reminded  us 
of  the  debt  we  owed  her.  (Applause). 

Today  America,  in  common  with  other  civilized  nations,  owes 
to  France  another  great  debt.  Four  years  ago  the  autocratic  mili 
tary  caste  of  Prussia  undertook  to  carry  out  its  long-cherished  plan 
of  dominating  the  world  by  force.  They  openly  violated  every 
accepted  rule  of  international  law,  they  trod  under  foot  every  ob 
ligation  of  humanity,  they  resorted  to  every  method  of  fiendish, 
scientific  savagery.  And  France — France  of  Joffre  and  of  Foch, 
the  same  France  as  the  France  of  Lafayette  and  Rochambeau — 
met  the  shock  with  characteristic  bravery  and  self-sacrifice.  For 
a  long  time  we  were  blind  to  the  fact  that  France  and  her  allies, 
in  fighting  for  the  liberty  of  Europe,  were  defending  our  liberty 
as  well.  Now  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  if  we  were  not  war- 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

ring  in  France  today  we  would  be  defending  ourselves  against  that 
same  tyranny  on  our  own  soil,  in  the  midst  of  ruin  and  bloodshed. 
(Applause). 

America  at  last  has  resolved  to  sacrifice,  if  need  be,  her  last 
man,  her  last  dollar,  her  last  mite  of  energy  and  resources,  to  see 
to  it  that  the  end,  and  the  final  end,  comes  to  this  menace  of  mili 
tary  tyranny  (Applause)  ;  let  us  see  to  it  that  at  the  same  time 
the  old  debt  to  the  protector  of  our  national  childhood  is  paid  at 
last  (Applause)  ;  let  us  see  to  it  that  France  has  restored  to  her 
every  foot  of  her  terrtitory,  including  Alsace-Lorraine  (Applause)  ; 
let  us  see  to  it  that  she  is  fully  recompensed  for  all  the  sacrifices 
and  all  the  suffering  and  the  loss  she  has  sustained  (Applause)  ; 
let  us  not  rest  until  we  can  assure  for  her  a  future  of  safety  to 
carry  out,  in  her  own  way,  in  peace  and  happiness,  her  own  salva 
tion.  (Applause). 

This  is  a  good  day,  my  friends,  to  remember.  We  owe  it  to 
the  founders  of  the  Republic  and  we  owe  it  to  ourselves  to  see  to  it 
that  we  repay  in  full,  generously,  joyfully,  the  debt  we  owe  to 
France  for  making  possible  liberty  in  America  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  for  all  she  suffered  to  preserve  freedom,  self-govern 
ment  and  Christian  civilization  in  the  twentieth  century.  (Great 
applause). 

Ex-Gov.  BATES:  The  next  speaker  was  born  in  Ohio.  He 
graduated  from  our  military  academy  at  West  Point  in  1876,  in 
the  centennial  year,  and  from  that  day  to  this,  so  far  as  I  can  re 
call,  America  has  never  had  any  scrap  with  anybody  that  he  has 
not  participated  in  it.  (Applause).  He  went  against  the  Sioux 
Indians  in  the  Powder  River  campaign  the  year  that  he  gradu 
ated — 1876  and  1877;  and  he  went  against  the  Bannocks  in  1878. 
And  then  you  will  remember  that  we  had  some  trouble  with  Spain, 
and  he  was  a  participant  in  that  struggle.  Then  we  had  trouble,  if 
you  recall,  as  the  result  of  an  insurrection  in  the  Philippines,  ,and 
he  was  one  of  the  officers  who  were  sent  to  put  down  that  insur 
rection;  and  it  was  put  down.  And  then  we  had  trouble  in  Pekin, 
and  nobody  knew  what  was  going  to  happen  there,  and  he  was  sent 
with  the  officers  that  were  sent  with  the  American  forces  to  the 
relief  of  Pekin.  And  now  I  present  to  you  a  gallant  officer  of  an 
invincible  army — Major-General  William  Crozier,  Commanding 
Northeastern  Department.  (Great  applause). 

88 


The  Battle  of  the  Marne 
Address  by  Major-General  William  Crozier,  U.  S.  A. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen :  There  are  many  kinds  of  satisfaction 
in  receiving  that  kind  of  an  introduction.  One  kind  which  occurs 
to  me  is  that  it  gives  me  at  least  one  characteristic  in  common  with 
that  which  General  Grant  said  that  he  himself  possessed.  In 
speaking  of  the  Mexican  war  he  stated  in  his  memoirs  that  he  had 
to  confess  that  that  war  would  probably  have  turned  out  just  as 
it  did  if  he  had  not  taken  any  part  in  it.  Here  I  shall  be  obliged 
to  state  that  these  different  incidents  in  which  our  government 
and  its  military  forces  have  been  engaged,  which  your  presiding 
officer  has  been  kind  enough  to  refer  to  me  in  connection  with, 
would  have  had  the  same  kind  of  termination  if  I  had  not  been 
there  as  a  party  to  your  forces. 

I  have  been  asked  to  speak  to  you  this  evening  about  the  Battle 
of  the  Marne.  At  this  time,  with  the  war  still  upon  us  and  with 
many  of  the  actors  of  that  battle  still  intensely  occupied  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  war,  it  is  difficult  to  put  together  an  accurate 
account  of  it  and  to  answer  all  the  questions  that  occur  in  connec 
tion  with  it,  which  in  their  entirety  will  afford  an  answer  to  the 
great  question  as  to  why  that  momentous  engagement  turned  out 
as  it  did  turn  out  rather  than  to  turn  out  differently.  There  are, 
however,  certain  outstanding  facts  which  are  well  known — at  least, 
they  can  be  well  known  to  one  who  has  studied  them — and  which 
give  us  a  general  idea  such  as  we  can  be  content  with  until  we  get 
the  more  complete  knowledge  which  will  come  from  the  disclosure 
of  the  information  which  is  until  now  held  in  the  offices  of  the 
general  staffs,  particularly  of  France  and  of  Germany. 

Among  those  things  which  of  course  can  be  well  known,  and 
which  are  well  known  to  most  of  us  and  to  most  of  this  audience, 
is  the  character  of  the  theatre  of  war — the  north-eastern  part  of 
France  and  of  Belgium.  The  salient  features  of  that  theatre  are 
the  boundary  line  of  France  on  the  eastern  and  northeastern  side. 
The  boundary  line  between  France  and  Belgium  commences  at 
Switzerland  and  runs  in  a  northerly  and  somewhat  westerly  direc 
tion  for  about  200  miles,  into  what  is  practically  the  southernmost 
end  of  Belgium.  From  that  point  it  turns  at  an  angle  and  runs 

89 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

approximately  northwest  for  about  200  miles  to  the  North  Sea. 
Paris  is  situated  a  little  south  of  west  of  the  point  of  the  angle — 
that  is,  the  northern  extremity  of  the  eastern  boundary  between 
France  and  Germany — and  distant  from  the  boundary  line  about 
200  miles.  It  is  situated  about  125  miles  southwest  of  the  nearest 
point  of  the  northwestern  part  of  this  frontier — that  is,  the  divid 
ing  line  between  France  and  Belgium. 

Before  the  war,  in  expectation  of  which  France  and  Germany 
had  been  confronting  each  other  along  these  two  frontiers  for  a 
number  of  years,  France  had  made  preparations  which  consisted 
primarily  in  the  maintenace  of  two  armies  near  the  eastern  fron 
tier,  so  disposed  that  they  could  be  mobilized  or  concentrated  in 
about  three  days.  No  adequate  preparation  had  been  made  by 
France  to  repel  an  invasion  which  might  take  place  along  the 
frontier  dividing  France  from  Belgium.  The  fortifications,  few 
in  number,  along  that  frontier,  had  not  been  kept  in  efficient  con 
dition.  No  new  fortifications  had  been  established,  and  those 
actually  in  existence  had  been  allowed  to  lapse  into  a  state  of  com 
parative  inefficiency.  There  was  no  lack  of  citizens  of  France  who 
were  dissatisfied  with  this  treatment  of  that  frontier,  but  never 
theless  it  was  the  treatment  which  the  French  government  thought 
was  justified  under  the  circumstances.  The  reliance  of  the  French 
government  was  upon  inernational  law  with  regard  to  this  frontier. 
That  law  should  have  safeguarded  France  from  invasion  through 
the  neutral  territory  of  Belgium.  Her  friends  were  well  aware  of 
the  advantage  which  an  advance  through  Belgium  would  give  to 
Germany,  and  perhaps  their  attachment  of  a  sufficient  value  to  the 
protection  of  international  law  rested  upon  the  fact  that  there  had 
been  recently  concluded  a  convention  covering  this  subject,  more 
solemn  and  more  formal  than  any  which  had  up  to  that  time  been 
agreed  upon  between  the  nations  of  the  world.  At  the  Peace  Con 
ference  at  the  Hague  in  1899  there  was  concluded,  among  other 
treaties,  the  convention  of  the  laws  of  war  on  land,  to  which  all 
the  parties  to  this  war  were  signatories.  This  convention  declared 
that  the  territory  of  neutral  countries  in  war  should  be  inviolate. 
It  was  the  first  convention  for  the  laws  of  war  on  land  which  had 
ever  been  agreed  upon  internationally.  Up  to  that  time  no  nation 
except  the  United  States  had  even  a  code  of  the  laws  of  war  on 

90 


Address  by  Major-General  William  Crazier,  U.  S.  A. 

land  for  the  government  of  its  armies,  and  those  laws  were  in  the 
main  such  as  a  commander  of  armies  in  the  field  would  choose  to 
interpret  them  to  be,  or  would  interpret  them  to  be  under  such 
compulsion  as  he  felt  normally  subject  to. 

Now  for  the  first  time  France  felt  that  she  did  not  have  to  rely 
alone  on  Germany's  interpretation  of  this  particular  feature  of 
international  law,  but  that  she  had  a  support  for  it  which  justified 
her  in  running  a  risk  of  which  she  well  appreciated  the  consequence 
of  a  mistake  in.  The  sanction  of  international  law  will  necessarily 
form  a  serious  subject  of  discussion  at  the  conclusion  of  the  pres 
ent  war. 

On  August  3d,  Germany  declared  war  on  France  and  invaded 
Belgium.  On  the  7th  of  August  the  German  forces  entered  Liege, 
about  200  miles  northeast  of  Paris.  The  French  forces  at  this  time 
consisted  principally  of  five  armies,  numbered  from  the  eastward, 
or  the  right  flank,  from  one  to  five  consecutively.  Two  of  these 
armies — the  first  and  second — afterwards  fought  facing  approxi 
mately  to  the  eastward  from  Verdun,  with  their  line  extending  in 
a  southeasterly  direction.  The  remaining  armies  were  extended  to 
the  westward  and  took  part  in  the  Battle  of  the  Marne. 

The  German  forces  consisted  of  eight  armies  in  principal  com 
position,  numbered  from  their  right  also — that  is,  from  the  west 
ward — from  one  to  eight  consecutively.  The  first  five  of  these 
took  part  in  what  we  call  the  Battle  of  the  Marne ;  the  other  three 
faced  the  first  and  second  French  armies  to  the  southeastward  of 
Verdun.  The  resistance  of  the  Belgians,  unexpected  to  the  Ger 
mans,  gave  a  sufficient  time  to  the  French  to  particularly  concentrate 
their  armies  in  Belgium,  where  they  had  not  expected  to  concen 
trate  them.  Behind  the  two  armies  which  were  kept  in  readiness 
for  mobilization  on  the  eastern  frontier  and  which  I  have  just 
spoken  about,  it  was  intended  to  form  a  third  army,  a  large  army, 
which  should  be  used  as  the  initial  incidents  of  the  war  should  in 
dicate  was  necessary.  This  army  was  prepared  with  reference  to 
an  invasion  of  the  Eastern  front,  and  all  the  movements  were  pre 
pared  in  reference  to  that  invasion.  It  therefore  required  a  very 
considerable  time  to  change  those  preparations,  which  consisted  of 
volumes  of  instructions  and  all  information  in  regard  to  what  they 
were  to  do,  which  were  disseminated  among  the  various  people  who 

9* 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

were  to  take  part  in  their  execution,  and  also  to  make  new  dispo 
sitions  of  the  various  accumulations  of  means  of  transport  and  of 
supplies,  so  that  these  could  form  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  an 
army  to  be  concentrated  in  this  unexpected  place  in  Belgium,  to 
the  northward.  But,  as  I  stated,  the  resistance  of  the  Belgians 
gave  sufficient  time  for  this  concentration  to  be  effected  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  French  were  able  to  give  battle  to  the  Germans  on 
the  23rd  or  24th  of  August  at  Charleroi,  about  140  miles  northeast 
of  Paris  and  almost  in  a  direct  line  between  Paris  and  Liege,  which 
the  Germans  had  entered  on  the  7th  of  August. 

I  mention  these  places,  giving  distance  and  direction  from 
Paris,  not  because  Paris  was  the  first  object  of  the  German  army 
but  because  the  position  of  Paris,  being  well  known,  I  can  by  this 
means  refresh  your  ideas  of  the  location  about  which  I  am  speak 
ing.  The  first  object  of  the  German  army — the  great  object  of  the 
German  army — was  of  course  the  French  army  and  its  destruction 
or  demoralization  so  that  it  should  no  longer  count  as  a  factor  in 
the  war,  and  Germany  and  Austria  could  then  be  free  to  turn  their 
attention  to  their  larger  but  less  advanced  adversary  in  the  east — 
that  is,  Russia. 

General  Joffre  was  not  yet  ready  to  try  the  issue  with  Germany 
at  the  time  of  the  Battle  of  Charleroi ;  the  issue  would  undoubtedly 
have  gone  against  France  seriously  if  it  had  been  pushed  at  that 
time.  Therefore,  he  broke  off  that  battle  and  fell  back,  and  two 
days  later  the  French  fell  back  still  further,  accompanied  by  the 
British,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been  landed  in  France  to  the  ex 
tent  of  about  70,000  men.  About  this  time,  August  25th,  General 
Joffre  announced  the  plan  of  the  formation  of  two  new  armies  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  what  he  called  maneuvering  troops,  to 
operate  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  left  or  western  flanks.  These 
two  armies  were  the  sixth,  under  General  Maunoury,  and  the  sev 
enth  under  General  Foch.  This  seventh  army  by  some  curious 
confusion  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  ninth  army,  and  in  read 
ing  about  the  war  it  may  avoid  obscurity  by  remembering  that  fact 
— that  General  Foch  was  put  in  command  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war  of  what  is  sometimes  called  the  seventh  army  and  sometimes 
the  ninth  army.  General  Joffre  planned  that  his  army  must  con 
tinue  to  fall  back  until  these  two  new  armies  had  been  collected 

92 


Address  by  Major-General  William  Crosier,  U.  S.  A. 

together,  partly  by  transferring  trops  from  the  other  armies  to 
the  new  organization  and  partly  by  the  collection  of  soldiers  from 
the  body  of  the  republic.  He  had  not  at  the  time  of  the  Battle  of 
Charleroi  really  determined  the  place  where  his  final  stand  should 
be  made,  but  he  knew  it  was  farther  to  the  rear,  somewhere  near 
the  vicinity  of  the  Aisne  or  the  Marne,  or  perhaps  even  as  far  back 
as  the  Seine.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan  he  directed  his  armies  to 
fall  back  until  they  got  into  what  was  finally  the  field  of  the  series 
of  contests  which  have  received  the  name  of  the  Battle  of  the 
Marne.  This  field  extended  from  Paris  almost  due  east  for  about 
150  miles  to  Vitry-le  Francois,  and  from  that  point  it  extended  in 
a  northeasterly  direction  to  Verdun.  Of  course  these  were  not 
the  lines  upon  which  the  armies  met  exactly,  they  were  not  the 
battle  lines  at  all;  but  they  mark  the  direction  and  the  extent  of 
that  zone  of  territory  which  can  be  considered  in  general  the  battle 
field.  The  French  armies  which  took  part  in  this  battle  extended 
from  Verdun  toward  Paris  southerly  and  westerly  in  a  great  loop 
which  dipped  to  the  southward. 

The  German  advance  had  been,  after  the  Battle  of  Charleroi, 
extremely  rapid  and  along  lines  which  spread  out  in  something  like 
a  fan  shape.  They  had  brought  General  von  Kluck's  forces  to 
within  25  miles  of  Paris,  to  a  place  called  Senlis,  almost  to  the 
north  of  Paris.  Here  he  found  himself  somewhat  separated  from 
the  army  of  General  von  Buelow  almost  to  the  eastward  of  him — 
the  second  army.  The  other  armies  were  distributed  between  that 
point  in  facing  the  French  army  in  the  direction  of  Verdun.  In 
these  conditions  General  von  Kluck  found  that  he  was  too  far  from 
the  army  next  to  the  eastward  of  him — General  von  Buelow's 
army.  He  apprehended  that  he  was  also  very  considerably  to  the 
westward  of  the  left  of  the  French  army,  which  he  thought  was 
well  to  the  eastward  of  Paris  and  which  he  thought  also  consisted 
of  the  fifth  French  army  alone.  He  was  unaware  of  the  fact  that 
in  the  meantime  General  JofTre  had  succeeded  in  placing  General 
Maunoury's  army,  the  sixth,  to  the  northward  of  Paris,  and  there 
fore  dangerously  upon  his  right  flank,  and  he  was  also  unaware  of 
the  fact  that  there  had  been  formed  General  Foch's  seventh  army, 
which  had  been  inserted  between  the  French  fourth  and  fifth  arm 
ies,  which  had  permitted  the  fifth  army  to  be  extended  farther  to 

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Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

the  westward.  He  also  opined  that  the  British  army  on  the  left 
of  that  portion  of  General  Foch's  forces  which  were  to  the  east 
ward  of  Paris  had  been  so  thoroughly  done  up  by  the  handling  it 
had  received  and  the  retreat  that  it  had  made,  that  it  could  no 
longer  be  of  any  particular  service.  Under  these  circumstances  he 
did  the  obvious  thing  in  moving  to  the  southeastward,  making  an 
effort  to  encircle  the  French  left  flank  and  to  overwhelm  it.  He 
probably  cannot  be  excused  for  his  ignorance  of  the  extent  of 
General  Maunoury's  army. 

General  Joffre  had  formed  his  plan  by  this  time,  which  was  to 
bring  General  Maunoury's  army  down  on  the  western  flank  and  in 
the  rear  of  von  Kluck's  army,  and  at  the  same  time  attack  that 
army  in  front  with  the  French  fifth  army,  to  overwhelm  it  and 
disintegrate  it  and  cut  the  lines  of  communication  of  the  German 
army  to  bring  upon  it  a  great  disaster.  Carrying  this  idea  out 
General  Manuoury  attacked  General  von  Kluck  on  the  5th  of  Sep 
tember.  It  was  about  the  4th  of  September  that  General  von  Kluck 
had  started  on  his  move  to  the  southeastward  past  Paris.  General 
Maunoury  hoped  that  by  that  time  General  von  Kluck  would  be 
so  engaged  with  the  British  forces  to  the  southwest  of  him  that  he 
could  not  untangle  himself  and  would  be  in  no  position  to  turn 
and  meet  him.  The  attack,  however,  was  made  without  this  having 
taken  place.  General  von  Kluck  was  not  yet  desperately  engaged, 
even  keenly  engaged,  with  General  French's  army,  and  therefore 
he  was  in  a  good  position  to  withdraw  his  army  from  the  southern 
positions  to  which  he  had  penetrated  and  throw  it  against  the  ad 
vancing  army  of  General  Maunoury,  facing  his  army  to  the  west 
against  General  Maunoury.  There  then  developed  a  very  great 
battle  in  this  part  of  the  field,  which  has  been  called  the  battle  of 
the  Ourcq,  and  in  it  General  von  Kluck  not  only  was  able  to  hold 
back  the  forces  of  General  Manuoury,  but  by  bringing  additional 
reinforcements  down  from  the  north,  which  he  was  able  to  do, 
he  partially  enveloped  the  left  or  northern  flank  of  General  Maun 
oury's  army  so  that  that  army  was  strongly  put  to  it  to  save  itself 
from  being  greatly  damaged  by  being  crumpled  up  from  the  north 
ward.  It,  however,  did  so  save  itself.  It  received  eventually  re 
inforcements  on  that  left  flank,  four  days  after  the  attack  of  Gen 
eral  Maunoury  on  General  von  Kluck,  during  which  four  days  the 

94 


Address  by  Major-General  William  Crozier,  U.  S.  A. 

fighting  had  been  proceeding  with  great  severity.  This  reinforce 
ment  consisted  of  the  famous  Taxicab  army.  The  military  gov 
ernor  of  Paris  had  sent  an  army  of  about  ten  thousand  or  twenty 
thousand  out  from  Paris,  where  it  had  but  just  disembarked,  in 
taxicabs  which  he  had  ready  in  anticipation  of  a  need  of  this  kind. 
It  was  not  this  taxicab  army  which  fully  met  General  von  Kluck's 
army,  but  it  was  a  reinforcement  of  General  Maunoury's  army  in 
this  way  which  enabled  it  to  hold  its  place  against  General  von 
Kluck's  army. 

The  engagement  thus  commenced  on  the  5th  of  September,  but 
it  was  on  the  day  of  this  anniversary — the  6th,  the  next  day — that, 
in  accordance  with  the  orders  of  General  Joffre,  the  forces  began 
their  general  engagement  through  the  whole  extent  of  the  line.  The 
center  of  the  French  army  under  General  Foch,  commanding  the 
seventh  army,  and  the  army  to  the  right  of  him,  the  fourth  army, 
was  very  strongly  attacked  by  the  German  center.  This  attack  was 
particularly  violent  from  the  7th  to  the  loth  of  September,  in  pur 
suance  of  a  plan  of  the  Germans  to  break  through  the  French 
center  and  defeat  the  French  army,  which  plan  had  been  hastily 
formed  when  it  was  evident  that  General  von  Kluck  was  not  going 
to  succeed  in  enveloping  the  French  left.  General  Foch's  army 
was  very  severely  handled  in  this  effort,  and  it  was  during  a  part 
of  it  that,  after  he  had  been  pushed  back  first  in  one  part  of  his 
line  and  then  in  another  part  of  his  line,  that  he  made  his  report 
to  headquarters  which  has  been  since  admiringly  quoted,  stating 
that  the  different  parts  of  his  line  had  been  attacked,  driven  from 
their  positions,  pushed  back,  and  when  he  came  to  that  part  of  his 
statement  when  he  might  very  well  have  been  expected  to  put  up 
to  his  superiors  the  desperate  condition  that  his  troops  were  in  and 
the  necessity  for  helping  him  out  of  a  strait,  he  ended  his 
report  by  saying,  "I  shall  attack,"  and  he  did.  (Applause).  And 
be  put  his  attack  through.  He  penetrated  the  German  line  and  he 
penetrated  so  far  that  momentous  consequences  followed. 

While  this  fighting  was  going  on  the  armies  to  the  eastward , 
as  far  as  Verdun   were   strongly  engaged   with   those   in   their 
front.    The  one  to  the  extreme  east  near  Verdun,  the  third  army 
of  General  Sarrail,  attacked  to  the  eastward  about  the  5th  of 
September,   about  the  same  time   that   General   Maunoury's   army 

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Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

attacked  Von  Kluck  to  the  westward,  in  an  effort  to  push  back 
the  army  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia — the  fifth  German 
army — which  faced  it,  and  to  get  behind  the  German  communica 
tions  upon  that  flank.  In  this  it  was  not  successful ;  but  it  pre 
vented  any  advance  of  the  fifth  army. 

Right  here  it  is  desirable  to  say  a  word  as  to  why  General 
Foch's  army  was  able  to  so  successfully  penetrate  the  German 
center  and  to  produce  the  state  of  affairs  which,  more  than  any 
other,  contributed  to  the  German  retreat  which  was  precipi 
tately  commenced  on  the  loth  of  September.  General  Maun- 
oury's  army,  as  I  have  stated,  had  not  succeeded  in  enveloping 
the  German  western  flank ;  it  rather  got  somewhat  enveloped 
itself.  Therefore,  General  Joffre's  plan  of  an  overwhelming 
victory  could  not  be  realized  at  this  time.  But  General  Maun- 
oury's  army  did  accomplish  a  very  important  thing.  It  drew 
against  it  such  a  large  proportion,  such  a  complete  proportion 
of  General  von  Kluck's  army,  and  by  sympathetic  attraction,  so 
as  to  avoid  the  opening  of  a  dangerous  gap,  such  a  proportion  of 
General  von  Buelow's  army  immediately  to  the  east  of  General 
von  Kluck's  army,  that  it  left  a  gap  or  a  thin  place  between 
General  von  Buelow  and  General  von  Hausen's  army,  which 
was  the  next  one  to  the  eastward  of  that,  and  it  was  into  this 
gap  that  General  Foch  seized  the  opportunity  to  penetrate — a 
most  creditable  action,  giving  promise  of  the  military  perspica 
city  which  that  officer  has  continued  to  show.  Realizing  that 
their  attempt  to  envelop  the  French  left  had  failed,  and  realizing 
that  General  Foch's  army  had  penetrated  far  into  its  lines — he 
crossed  the  Marne  on  the  nth  of  September — the  German  army 
realized  that  that  particular  game  was  up  and  that  there  was 
nothing  for  it  to  do  but  to  go  back  by  the  way  it  had  come,  and 
back  it  went.  (Applause.) 

After  this  very  sketchy  outline  of  this  highly  important 
event  it  is  interesting  to  isolate,  if  possible,  the  principal  reason 
why  it  turned  out  as  it  did  as  a  French  victory  rather  than  in  the 
final  German  victory,  as  far  as  the  French  were  concerned,  which 
had  been  the  confident  expectation  of  the  German  high  com 
mand.  The  Germans  are  said  to  have,  in  consequence  of  their 
belief  that  the  French  were  retreating  in  rout  and  not  as  a 

96 


Address  by  Major-General  William  Crosier,  U.  S.  A. 

matter  of  strategy,  advanced  with  great  precipitation,  to  such 
an  extent  that  they  outran  their  supplies  and  became  otherwise 
disorganized.  They  ran  ahead  of  their  important  supplies — 
munitions  for  their  artillery.  We  will  know  later,  perhaps,  how 
much  weight  to  assign  to  this  reason.  As  far  as  the  shortage  of 
ammunition  was  concerned,  the  French  were  also  troubled,  and 
we  know  of  distressing  items  of  informantion  which  were  sent 
to  the  French  commanders  as  to  the  time  when  the  replenish 
ment  of  their  munitions  might  be  expected.  There  has  been  a 
great  deal  of  discussion  as  to  whether  Maunoury's  attack  upon 
Von  Kluck's  army  was  premature  and  should  not  have  been 
dealt  until  the  design  had  been  assured — that  Von  Kluck's  army 
should  be  keenly  engaged  with  Sir  John  French's  army  on  the 
French  left.  Being  thus  engaged  it  is  not  easy  for  an  army  to 
be  extricated  so  that  it  can  be  used  for  a  new  attack  in  another 
part  of  the  field. 

There  is  also  a  discussion  as  to  whether  Sir  John  French 
was  too  slow  and  did  not  sufficiently  soon  attack  General  von 
Kluck's  army  so  as  to  aid  General  Maunoury's  attack  on  the 
left  flank.  I  think  it  is  a  matter  of  easy  speculation,  in  the  light 
of  such  information  as  we  have,  that  General  von  Kluck  stopped 
and  turned  against  Maunoury  too  soon  for  the  French  plans, 
because  he  had  finally  become  aware  of  the  presence  of  Maun 
oury's  army,  which  could  not,  being  a  large  force,  be  with 
held  from  his  knowledge  for  the  length  of  time  it  was  necessary 
for  the  complete  realization  of  General  Joffre's  plan.  We  know 
that  there  were  various  means  of  information  not  available  for 
generals  in  former  wars,  particularly  the  information  which  they 
obtained  by  their  aviation  service.  We  do  not  know  definitely 
whether  Von  Kluck  had  this  information,  but  his  action  was 
just  such  as  he  might  have  been  expected  to  take  if  it  had  suddenly 
come  into  his  possession. 

There  are,  however,  several  very  strong  outstanding  facts 
as  to  Germany's  bungle,  Their  general  staff  made  several  bad 
guesses.  They  made  a  bad  guess  that  the  French  were  in 
rout.  They  made  another  bad  guess  that  there  had  been  a 
greater  concentration  of  French  troops  to  the  eastward,  whica 
guess  was  induced  by  the  spirited  fighting  which  General  Castel- 

97 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

nau,  particularly  with  the  second  army,  was  doing  in  that 
region,  than  there  actually  was.  They  failed  to  get  the  extent 
of  Maunoury's  army,  or  that  General  French  or  General  Joffre 
would  be  able  to  place  any  force  in  this,  to  them,  very  dan 
gerous  position. 

This  has  been  said  to  be,  by  different  persons  speaking  of  it, 
a  war  of  various  things.  It  has  been  called  a  war  of  munitions. 
It  has  been  called  a  war  of  ocean  transports.  It  has  been 
called  a  war  of  man-power,  and  of  various  other  elements  which 
happened  at  the  time  to  be  uppermost  in  the  speaker's  mind. 
The  Battle  of  the  Marne  has  also  been  said  to  have  been  won 
1»y  certain  particular  elements  which  the  speaker  thought  parti 
cular  weight  should  attach  to.  Among  the  brilliant  things  which 
were  done  in  connection  with  it  were  certain  performances  by 
the  railroad  of  France,  which  have  not  been  very  extensively 
noticed.  The  new  armies  of  General  Foch  and  of  General 
Maunoury  were  formed  by  the  transfer  'to  them,  as  I  have 
stated,  particularly  of  troops  from  the  forces  farther  to  the  east 
ward,  and  this  army  just  before  the  pth  of  September  received 
^a  very  strong  reinforcement  from  the  entire  fourth  army  corps 
which  had  been  transported  by  rail  from  the  third  army  way 
to  the  eastward,  near  Verdun,  across  and  behind  the  French 
army,  crossing  the  natural  lines  of  communication,  and  had 
been  landed  at  a  place  where  it  would  do  the  most  good.  I 
have  personally  heard  General  Joffre  say  that  the  Battle  of  the 
Marne  was  a  victory  for  the  railroad.  But  all  commentators 
unite  in  saying  that  for  one  thing  it  was  a  victory  of  the 
French  soldier.  (Applause.) 

By  September  5  General  Joffre  had  his  dispositions  all  made. 
They  had  required  a  master  mind,  and  the  master  mind  was 
present  to  compass  them.  It  had  been  the  practice  of  the 
French  for  many  years  to  select  one  of  their  generals  in  time 
of  peace  and  assign  him  to  the  command  of  their  forces  wrhen 
the  expected  war  with  Germany  should  take  place.  General 
Joffre  had  been  the  man  so  selected,  and  he  justified  the  selec 
tion.  Having  made  his  dispositions  he  knew  that  the  matter  was 
from  that  time  up  to  the  French  subordinate  generals  and  to  the 
individual  instruments  of  war — the  men.  As  a  final  announce- 

98 


Address  by  Major-General  William  Crazier,  U.  S.  A. 

mem  to  his  troops  he  issued  the  order  which  has  become  famous. 
A  part  of  it  ran  as  follows : 

"At  the  moment  when  a  battle  on  which  the  welfare  of 
the  councry  depends  is  about  to  begin,  I  feel  it  m)  duty  to 
remind  you  that  it  is  no  longer  appropriate  to  look  behind. 
We  have  now  but  one  business  in  hand — to  attack  and  repel 
the  enemy.  An  army  which  can  nc  longer  advance  will  -u 
all  costs  hold  its  ground  and  allow  itself  to  be  slain  where 
it  stands  rather  than  to  give  way  " 

How  well  the  citizens  of  France  responded  is  well  known. 
(Great  applause.) 

The  right  of  this  battle  to  be  included  among  the  decisive 
battles  of  the  world,  those  which  have  changed  the  whole  sub 
sequent  history  of  civilization,  has  also  been  somewhat  dis 
cussed  already.  Whether  it  shall  be  permanently  entitled  to 
a  place  in  that  list  depends  upon  the  outcome  of  the  war.  If  the 
outcome  shall  be  a  German  victory,  or  an  inconclusive  peace, 
some  other  contest  to  take  place  later  will  be  found  upon  that 
list;  but  if  the  outcome  shall  be  what  we  intend  to  make  it 
(applause),  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  wall  go  on  that  list  to  stay 
there,  no  matter  what  may  subsequently  take  place,  as  being  the 
event  at  which  the  German  system  of  handling  peoples  iirst  was 
definitely  arrested  and  turned  back. 

The  German  system  of  government  is  a  very  efficient 
system  for  preparation  for  war.  The  system  is  autocratic,  and 
if  the  central  governing  power  adopts  as  one  of  the  prime  objects 
of  government  military  preparation,  military  preparation  will- 
be  added.  A  central  authority,  a  central  command,  is  the  best 
for  wielding  the  entire  power  of  a  national  organism  against 
another  power.  It  has  been  said  in  a  very  interesting  little  book 
that  in  primitive  times  the  despotic  government  of  tribes  and 
communities  was  necessary  because  in  the  earlier  stages  of 
humanity,  when  every  little  tribe  was  at  war  with  its  neighbor, 
that  kind  of  a  government,  able  to  wield  unquestioned  the  total 
strength  of  the  little  organization,  was  the  only  one  that  could 
survive.  Are  we,  then,  driven  to  admit  that  in  those  future  con 
tests,  which  we  can  only  faintly  hope  will  some  time  come  to  an 
end  through  better  methods  of  settling  international  disputes, 

99 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

autocratic  government  must  in  the  nature  of  things  ultimately 
win  out  because  of  this  greater  military  efficiency  of  that  kind 
of  government?  I  judge  the  contrary,  and  for  the  reason  that  a 
government  by  the  consent  of  the  governed  breeds  better  men 
than  a  government  of  suppression  of  the  masses  of  the  people. 
It  not  only  attracts  to  itself  the  majority  of  men,  as  is  evidenced 
in  this  war — because  counting  the  four  principal  free  govern 
ments  at  war  with  Austria  and  Germany  we  outnumber  them  in 
population  about  two  to  one — but  the  system  of  the  independence 
of  the  individual  as  promoted  by  a  free  government  develops  a 
resource  which  is  the  principal  resource  of  any  nation  in  war- 
namely,  its  man  power.  (Applause.)  If  the  centralized  govern 
ment  can  better  handle  its  resources,  especially  in  the  stage  of 
preparation  for  war,  when  free  peoples  are  thinking  of  some 
thing  else,  the  free  government  has  better  resourses  to  handle 
when  these  representatives  of  the  two  kinds  of  government  con 
front  one  another  on  the  battle  field.  The  man  trainee!  to  in 
dependent  thought  is  not  only  a  more  intelligent  soldier,  better 
able  to  master  the  weapons  of  war,  which  are  of  increasing 
number  and  delicacy  of  construction,  but  understanding  and 
being  in  full  sympathy  with  what  he  is  fighting  for,  his  heart 
is  steeled  to  determination  to  bring  about  the  outcome  which  he 
understands ;  and  in  a  contest  which  may  perhaps  again  take 
place  between  those  who  live  under  the  two  forms  of  govern 
ment,  we  have  a  right  to  hope  that  victory  will  rest  with  the 
sounder,  the  finer,  the  more  comprehending  and  the  more  de 
voted  human  aggregation.  Such  a  victory  was  had  at  the 
Battle  of  the  Marne.  (Great  applause.) 

Ex-Gov.  BATES:  When  I  came  in  this  evening  the  band  was 
playing  the  stirring  strains  of  "Over  There,"  and  when  we  hear 
the  band  playing  this  piece  it  makes  us  all  want  to  take  a  part. 
It  is  not  possible  for  many  of  us  to  take  a  part  over  there. 

The  next  speaker  was  born  in  France  but  has  spent  most  of 
his  life  in  this  country.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  heard  the 
call  to  colors  and  he  enlisted  in  the  French  army  and  has  seen 
eighteen  months'  active  service.  He  will  speak  to  us  for  our 
beloved  friend  and  ally— France.  I  introduce  Professor  Louis 
Mercier  of  Harvard.  (Great  applause). 

100 


Address  by  M.  Louis, "J/' 

Mr.  Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen :  It  is  indeed  a  striking 
coincidence  that  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Lafayette  and 
the  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  should  fall  on  the 
same  day,  because  it  forces  us  to  consider  together  in  com 
memoration  the  champion  of  the  American  Revolution  and  the 
soldiers  of  the  Marne,  it  makes  us  realize  that  the  soldiers  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  soldiers  of  the  armies  of  France 
and  of  England  in  1914  fought  for  the  very  same  principles. 
(Applause.) 

And  in  the  few  minutes  at  my  disposal  I  should  like  to 
emphasize  this  one  thought,  which  is  especially  precious  to  the 
people  of  French  blood,  in  whose  name  I  have  the  honor  to 
speak  this  evening.  It  is  this  thought:  That  the  war  of  which 
Lafayette  was  the  champion,  the  war  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  and  the  present  world  war  are  one  and  the  same  war. 
(Applause.)  The  roar  of  the  cannons  of  the  Marne  were  but  the 
echo  of  the  shots  fired  by  the  embattled  farmers  of  Lexington 
and  Concord.  The  principles  proclaimed  by  the  allied  govern 
ments  were  the  very  same  principles  which  inspired  the  men 
who  met  in  this  hall — the  fathers  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Not  that  I  mean  to  insinuate  that  the  nation  they  stood  up 
against  is  to  be  compared  with  the  nation  we  are  fighting. 
(Applause.) 

It  is  very  interesting  to  note  that  the  explanation  of  the 
battle  of  Concord  by  the  people  of  Massachusetts  to  the  English 
King — or,  rather,  to  the  German  Prince  who  then  happened  to 
be  King  of  England  (applause) — was  that  his  soldiers  had  first 
fired  against  them,  and  that  they  had  fired  only  in  answer,  and 
that  they  had  fought  through  the  day — note  the  words,  ladies 
and  gentlemen— they  had  fought  through  the  day  in  straight 
defence  of  their  rights  and  their  homes  as  Englishmen.  So 
you  note  the  colonists  still  used  the  term  "Englishmen"  in  the 
sense  of  freemen.  And  free  men  they  meant  to  remain. 

But  the  point  I  want  to  make  is  this:  That  the  words  of 
the  soldiers  of  Concord  could  have  been  used  by  the  soldiers  of 
the  Marne.  They,  too,  had  been  first  fired  upon ;  and  they,  too, 
fought  through  the  day  in  straight  defence  of  their  rights  and 
of  their  homes.  (Applause.) 

101 


t)ay  in  Boston 

So,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  it  is  not  a  distinction  of  nationali 
ties  we  are  making  today.  There  is  only  one  distinction  today, 
and  it  is  a  distinction  of  ideals.  There  is  only  one  issue  today, 
and  it  is  the  issue  voiced  by  the  American  colonist:  "Shall  the 
homes  and  shall  the  rights  of  free  men  survive?"  It  is  the  issue 
which  Lafayette  in  the  French  city  of  Metz  heard  about  and 
which  thrilled  him.  He  tells  us  himself  in  his  diary :  "When  I 
first  heard  the  story  of  the  quarrel  between  England  and  her 
American  colonies  I  thought  of  nothing  more  save  of  espousing 
their  cause ;  such  a  glorious  cause  had  never  before  attracted 
the  attention  of  mankind ;  it  was  the  last  struggle  of  liberty ;  if 
she  were,  then,  vanquished,  neither  hope  nor  asylum  would 
remain  for  her." 

Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  are  these  not  strange  words  to 
have  been  written  in  1775?  Do  they  not  seem  rather  to  have 
been  written  more  today?  Are  they  not  the  words  we  have 
been  repeating  for  the  last  four  years;  and  if  so,  is  it  not  clear 
that  this  war  and  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution  are  one 
and  the  same  war?  The  last  struggle  of  liberty,  the  struggle 
Lafayette  himself  engaged  in,  the  last  struggle  to  consecrate 
the  world  to  freedom.  Oh,  my  friends,  we  do  realize  that  this 
is  not  a  war  and  never  has  been  a  war,  between  England  and 
Germany,  or  between  France  and  Germany.  It  has  been  from 
the  start  a  world  war  against  everything  which  Germanism 
stands  for.  (Applause.)  And  we  realize  that  we  have  to  take 
our  share  in  it  as  Americans.  But  as  Americans  you  have  the 
right  to  go  further  and  to  say  that  if  this  war  belongs  to  any 
nation  in  particular,  that  nation  is  the  United  States  of  America. 
(Applause.)  We  should  realize  the  full  truth  and  know  that 
this  is  primarily  America's  war. 

I  had  the  privilege  of  being  at  the  front  during  the  years 
before  America  entered  the  war,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  what  an 
agony  it  was  while  we  waited  for  America  to  enter  the  roll 
call  of  the  lovers  of  freedom.  Not  that  we  doubted  for  an  instant 
that  she  would  answer  it,  but  as  long  as  she  had  not  the 
meaning  of  this  war  she  could  not  be  fully  claimed,  nor  the  issue 
of  this  war  decisive  or  permanent.  The  European  nations  with 
their  ancient  feuds  could  only  speak  in  terms  of  their  own  rights. 

102 


Address  by  M.  Louis  J.  A.  Merrier. 

America  alone,  because  she  had  fired  the  first  shot  for  freedom, 
and  because  through  her  history  she  has  kept  aloof  from 
European  affairs,  America  alone  in  this  great  world  crisis  could 
step  forward  and  speak  in  the  name  of  the  whole  world,  speak 
in  the  name  of  the  rights  of  all  humanity.  (Applause.)  And 
to  realize  this  is  to  know  that  this  is  primarily  America's  war, 
and  because  it  is  primarily  America's  war,  because  the  meaning 
of  the  war  could  not  be  fully  clear  until  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
were  unfurled  upon  its  battlefields,  we  should  not  be  surprised 
at  the  changes  that  have  come  since  America  entered  the  war. 
(Applause.) 

Today  the  whole  anti-German  world  is  ringing  with  the 
slogan,  voiced  by  America  and  adopted  as  the  slogan  of  the 
war:  "We  are  fighting  to  make  the  world  safe  for  democracy." 
(Applause.)  Today  a  new  spirit,  a  spirit  of  confidence  and  joy, 
runs  through  the  allied  armies ;  but  my  friends,  that  spirit  could 
not  be  born  until  the  day  when,  as  Governor  Bates  so  well  said, 
General  Pershing  stepped  to  the  tomb  of  Lafayette  and  in 
words  of  matchless  eloquence  in  their  simplicity  said,  "Lafayette, 
here  we  are!"  (Applause.)  These  were  the  words  that  told  the 
world  that  this  world  war  and  the  war  of  the  American  Re 
volution  were  but  one  war;  these  were  the  words  that  France 
had  long  prayed  for,  not  so  much  because  they  meant  to  her 
material  help,  not  because  she  was  tired  of  the  battle  and  the 
sacrifice,  but  because  she  longed  to  hear  her  elder  sister  in 
freedom  say  to  her,  "Yes,  I  recognize  it — you  are  fighting  my 
battle,  and  I,  as  the  first  nation  born  of  free  men,  for  whose 
defence  you  are  bleeding — I  must  come  and  take  my  place  and 
suffer  by  your  side."  (Applause.) 

Oh,  my  friends,  you  cannot  know  what  it  has  meant  to 
France  to  hear  these  words.  I  am  thinking  of  comrades  who 
fell  in  1914  and  1915.  They  could  not  know  that  their  cause 
would  triumph,  they  could  not  know  for  certain  that  the  sacri 
fices  of  the  fathers  would  save  the  children  from  slavery.  But 
now  it  is  all  different.  Now  the  individual  may  fall,  but  he 
knows  that  his  cause  is  marching  on,  marching  on,  marching  on 
to  victory.  (Applause.)  And  it  is  marching  on  to  victory  right 
now,  (applause)  and  with  gigantic  strides.  And,  my  friends,  I 

103 


Lafayette  Day  in  Boston 

know  you  are  not  ready  to  claim  that  the  allies  had  to  wait  the 
coming  of  our  boys  to  learn  how  to  fight.  I  know  you  under 
stand  that  under  God  the  great  victories  are  due  to  the  unity 
of  command  and  the  genius  of  the  commander-in-chief,  to  the 
new  mechanics  of  war — the  tanks  and  the  new  guns,  and  the 
new  shells.  But  you  have  a  right  to  feel  as  we  all  feel,  that  the 
allied  armies  are  going  forward  today  with  a  new  ardor  that  will 
not  be  denied,  and  that  a  part  of  this  ardor  at  least  is  due  to 
the  inspiration  which  the  American  boys  have  brought  over 
there,  and  to  the  fact  that  over  the  battlefield,  along  with  the 
bravery  of  England  and  the  genius  of  France,  now  sweeps  on  the 
irresistible  spirit  of  America.  (Applause.) 

Aye,  the  face  of  the  battle  has  changed  because  Pershing's 
Crusaders  have  come  (applause)  and  the  face  of  the  world  will 
change  because   Pershing's   Crusaders   will   win.     Let  the   op 
pressed  people  of  the  earth  look  up,  for  we  know  the  victory  of 
the  Crusaders  will  bring  their  liberation;  and  let  the  leaders  that 
are  oppressing  peoples,  including  their  own,  reap  their  full  pun 
ishment,  for  we  know  that  the  Crusaders  will  see  to  it  that  they 
pay  the  penalty  of  oppression.     (Applause.)      For,  my  friends, 
the  world  is  not  going  to  be  dominated  by  the  leaders  whose 
spirit  could  inspire  the  invasion  of  Belgium,  the   torturing  of 
women  and  children,  the  sinking  of  the  Lusitania,  the  enslaving 
of  whole  populations,  the  bombing  of  hospitals  and  the  torpedo 
ing  of  hospital  ships.    No,  it  is  not  going  to  be  dominated  by  the 
ideals  of  men  who  would  fasten  all  these  hellish  degradations 
upon  men.     But  it  is  going  to  be  vitalized  anew  by  the  ideals  of 
the  men  who  met  in  this  hall  through  the  Revolution,  by  the 
ideals   of  the  soldiers   of   Lexington   and   Concord,   and   of  the 
soldiers  of  the  Marne,  by  the  ideals  which  inspired  Lafayette  and 
which  thrill  the  blood  of  the  victorious  allies  today.    The  world 
is  not  going  to  be  dominated  by  Germanism,  but  it  is  going  to 
be  inspired  forever  by  the  ideals  of  America.     (Great  applause.) 


Ex-Gov.  BATES:  The  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Common 
wealth  is  on  the  platform,  but  he  has  asked  to  be  excused  from 
speaking  because  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour.  But  on  your 
behalf  I  want  to  extend  to  him  a  most  cordial  welcome  as  the 

104 


Address  by  M.  Louis  J.  A.  Mcrcier. 

representative   of   our   Commonwealth — the    Commonwealth    of 
Liberty.     (Applause.) 

I  think  our  fondness  for  the  French  national  anthem  is  ex 
celled  only  by  that  of  the  French  themselves.  (Applause.)  We 
are  you  going  to  be  led  in  the  singing  by  the  voice  of  one  who  has 
so  often  thrilled  Boston  audiences  that  we  feel  as  though  we 
have  a  proprietary  interest  in  him,  although  he  comes  from 
across  the  sea.  Monsieur  Ramon  Blanchart  will  lead  us  in 
singing  "La  Marseillaise,"  and  you  will  all  join  heartily  in  the 
chorus. 


(Singing   of   "La   Marseillaise"   by   M.   Ramon   Blanchart,   the 
audience  joining  in  the  chorus.) 


An  address  by  the  Hon.  Channing  Cox  was  a  feature  of  the 
Lafayette  day  celebration  held  at  4  o'clock  by  the  Naval  Service 
Club,  at  its  rooms  on  Beacon  Street.  Mayor  Peters,  Rear 
Admiral  Spencer  S.  Wood  and  Captain  W.  R.  Rush  were  present 
as  also  several  hundred  sailors  from  the  warships,  the  Navy 
Yard  and  Commonwealth  Pier.  A  bust  of  Lafayette,  the  work 
of  Rodin,  the  French  sculptor,  occupied  a  prominent  place  be 
tween  the  two  windows  on  the  outside  of  the  building. 

Lafayette-Marne  Day  was  also  celebrated  at  the  St.  Paul 
Cathedral  with  a  patriotic  service  at  noon.  A  vested  choir  of 
men  with  trumpets  led  in  patriotic  hymns  on  the  porch,  while 
a  patriotic  service  was  held  in  th^  church  with  an  address  by 
the  Rev.  Edward  T.  Sullivan  on  "The  Spirit  of  Lafayette  and 
the  Mystery  of  the  Marne." 

Among  the  guests  of  honor  were  J.  C.  J.  Flamand,  French 
Consul  and  Admiral  Spencer  S.  Wood  and  his  staff. 

The  Algonquin  Club  also  had  exercises  in  connection  with 
Lafayette  Day.  Fred  H.  Prince  sent  the  following  message  to 
Marshal  Joffre : 

"Our  army  of  citizens  fighting  side  by  side  with  the 
French  heroes  is  worthy  of  your  prophecy.  Our  Boston 
population  is  full  of  joy  and  recalls  your  triumphant  visit 
with  emotion." 

105 


Lafayette  Day  in  Milwaukee 

To  which  Marshal  Joffre  replied: 

"With  you,  dear  Mr.  Prince,  I  heartily  applauded  last 
year  the  birth  of  the  American  army,  and  again  with  you  I 
applauded  with  joy  the  first  successes  of  the  army.  Like 
you  and  with  you,  I  foresaw  from  the  very  first  what  a 
great  and  fine  army  would  soon  help  us  to  pursue  the  Ger 
mans  out  of  our1  beloved  France  and  to  deal  the  final  blow 
to  the  enemies  of  democracy  and  of  liberty. 

"Pray  accept,  dear  Mr.  Prince,  the  expression  of  my 
affectionate  regard. 

(Signed)     "J-  JOFFRE." 

Exercises  were  also  held  on  the  Boston  Common  where  the 
public  gathered  and  sang  the  Marseillaise.  The  ceremony  of 
''Honor  to  the  Flags"  was  another  feature.  Portraits  of  the 
French  war  leaders  were  shown  upon  a  screen  erected  for  the 
purpose  as  also  pictures  of  American  and  French  troops,  while 
new  war  films  made  up  the  remainder  of  the  programme. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  Hall  on  the  Boston  Common  also 
held  special  exercises  which  included  addresses  by  Judge  Wil 
liam  J.  Day,  State  Department  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Rev.  James  N.  McNair,  chaplain,  and  first  class  machinist's  mate, 
Louis  Schwarn,  U.  S.  N.  The  patriotic  programme  which  was 
arranged  by  John  W.  McAcy,  director  of  the  Boston  district, 
took  place  on  a  platform  erected  in  front  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Building  on  the  Common.  Soldiers  and  sailors  furn 
ished  the  music  for  the  exercises. 


MILWAUKEE,  WIS. 

An  audience  filled  the  auditorium  to  capacity  at  the  cele 
bration  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  City  Club.  The  speakers 
grouped  on  the  platform  were:  Doctor  Paul  S.  Reinsch,  Minis 
ter  to  China,  Chief  Justice  John  B.  Winslow,  Ex-Justices  J.  E. 
Dodge,  John  Barnes  and  Fred  S.  Hunt,  President  of  the  City 
Club. 

The  principal  speakers  were  Hon.  James  W.  Gerard,  former 
Ambassador  to  Germany  and  Mr.  Stephane  Lauzanne. 

106 


Lafayette  Day  in  Milwaukee 

The  exercises  began  with  the  singing  of  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner"  by  Miss  Clementine  Malek  who  also  sang  the  "Mar 
seillaise"  and  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Band  played. 

Characterizing  Lafayette  as  "The  man  who  more  than  any 
other  historical  figure  symbolizes  the  union  of  the  spirit  of  France 
and  America,"  F.  S.  Hunt  introduced  Chief  Justice  Winslow. 
Both  Mr.  Gerard  and  Mr.  Lauzanne  were  given  ovations  as 
Mr.  Winslow  presented  them  in  turn ;  the  audience  rising  to 
welcome  them  with  waving  flags  and  applause.  Mr.  Gerard 
said  in  part : 

"Since  I  last  spoke  to  you  here,  a  great  deal  of  water 
has  run  under  the  bridge,  and  a  great  many  Huns  have  also 
run  over  the  bridge.  1  told  you  last  October  how  the  kaiser 
shook  his  ringer  in  my  face  and  told  me  that  after  the  war 
he  would  stand  no  nonsense  from  the  United  States 

"We  are  now  in  a  position  to  inform  the  kaiser  that  we 
will  stand  no  nonsense  from  Germany.  We  have  learned 
a  lot  about  Germany  and  we  have  been  surprised.  But  what 
do  you  think  must  have  been  Germany's  surprise  at  .us — first 
when  we  broke  relations,  then  when  we  went  to  war,  and 
more  when  we  showed  them  we  could  make  war  as  effi 
ciently  as  they? 

"President  Wilson  has  done  two  great  things.  He  has 
put  this  war  for  ideals  on  the  plane  of  a  great  crusade  and 
he  has  led  us  to  battle  with  an  efficiency  that  a  German 
general  staff  never  dreamed  of. 

"I  want  Lieut.  Lauzanne  to  take  back  to  France  this 
message  from  all  the  people  of  America — the  words  of 
Lafayette :  T  am  with  you  until  the  end  and  until  victory.'  " 

Messages  were  read  from  Ambassador  Jusserand,  saying 
that  there  was  one  place  the  German  spies  had  not  been  able 
to  pry  into — the  American  heart;  from  President  Poincare, 
voicing  admiration  and  affection  for  America ;  from  Marshal  Foch ; 
Marshal  Joffre ;  from  General  Pershing. 

The  full  text  of  Mr.  Stephane  Lauzanne's  address  follows: 


107 


Lafayette  Day  In 

TO  THE  LAST  HEART  BEAT  FOR  VICTORY 

By  M.  Stephane  Lauzanne,  member  of  the  French  High  Com 
mission  to  the  United  States  and  Editor  of  Le  Martin,  Paris,  at  the 
Milwaukee  Celebration  of  Lafayette  Day. 

This  is  a  great  day.  This  is  a  day  where  we  celebrate 
together  the  services  of  Lafayette  and  of  Joffre — the  man  of 
Yorktown,  the  man  of  the  Marne.  We  celebrate  American 
victory  and  French  victory,  but  above  all  the  victory  of  Liberty. 

Since  years  and  years,  we  all  knew  in  France  that  you,  Ameri 
cans,  and  we,  Frenchmen,  had  many  things  in  common ;  the 
same  spirit  of  Liberty,  the  same  love  for  Democracy,  the  same 
colors  of  the  flag.  But  today  we  know  that  there  is  something 
more.  There  is  the  same  heart  beating  for  the  same  cause. 
For  that  cause  your  boys  are  giving  their  blood,  the  pure  blood 
of  a  free  people  and  our  men  are  giving  their  blood,  the  pure 
blood  of  an  unsubjected  people.  This  makes  between  you  and 
us  a  link  which  will  never  be  broken. 

You  know  against  what  we  are  fighting:  It  is  Germanism 
and  you  know  what  is  Germanism. 

Germanism,  it  is  von  Bethmann-Hollweg,  coming  on  the 
fourth  of  August,  before  the  German  reichstag — that  is  before 
the  German  nation — and  roughly  saying:  "Yes,  it  is  true  that  our 
troops  are  now  invading  Belgium  and  that  it  is  against  inter 
national  law.  But  we  are  in  necessity  and  necessity  knows  no 
law." 

Germanism,  it  is  the  Kaiser  issuing  in  1914  four  declarations 
of  war  in  three  days  and  exclaiming  in  1918:  "God  knows  what 
I  have  not  done  to  prevent  such  a  war." 

Germanism  in  Roumania. 

Germanism  is  von  Kuehlmann,  imposing  on  the  Roumanians 
a  treaty  which  wrests  from  Roumania  15,000  square  miles  of 
territory  with  800,000  inhabitants,  at  the  same  time  that  it  takes 
away  from  Roumania  all  the  wheat,  all  the  oil,  and  declaring  to 
the  reichstag:  "What  characterizes  the  treaty  of  Bucharest  is 

108 


Address  by  Stephane  Lausanne 

that  it  is  a  treaty  without  annexations  and  without  indemnities." 

Germanism,  it  is  all  the  hypocrisy,  all  the  wickedness,  all  the 
frightfulness,  that  we  meet  in  the  world. 

Germanism,  it  is  all  the  horrors,  all  the  atrocities,  all  the 
crimes  that  we  have  witnessed  in  this  war. 

The  other  Huns,  the  predecessors  of  the  Huns  of  today,  when 
several  centuries  ago  they  invaded  France,  they  at  least  showed 
some  pity.  They  spared  a  town,  the  French  town  of  Troyes,  in 
Champagne,  at  the  request  of  the  bishop  of  the  town.  But  the 
Huns  of  today  they  have  spared  nothing;  they  have  killed  old 
men,  they  have  killed  women,  they  have  even  killed  trees,  so 
great  was  their  lust  for  killing. 

I  remember  when  I  was  on  the  front  before  Verdun  in  the 
trenches.  I  remember  graves  on  which  I  could  read  the  names 
and  the  inscriptions  of  the  men  lying  in  the  graves,  and  under 
one  name  these  two  lines :  "Shot  down  at  the  age  of  83  by  the 
Germans."  Yes,  men  shot  down  at  the  age  of  83!  We  have 
seen  all  that  in  France.  We  have  seen  other  things.  We  have 
vseen  our  women  and  children  deported  and  enslaved;  we  have 
seen  our  cathedrals  and  our  monuments  destroyed ;  we  have  seen 
our  cities  and  our  villages  burnt  to  the  ground. 

And  it  is  because  we  have  seen  all  that,  it  is  because  we  have 
suffered  all  that,  that  we  say  today  that  this  is  not  an  ordinary 
war,  but  that  it  is  a  holy  war,  in  which  all  the  Christian  world 
must  join.  It  is  because  we  have  seen  all  that  and  suffered  all  that 
that  we  say  today  we  are  not  fighting  against  a  nation,  or  against  a 
race,  or  against  a  creed,  but  that  we  are  fighting  against  perjury, 
against  corruption,  against  the  power  itself  of  evil. 

The  Spirit  of  France. 

You  know  also  how  we  have  waged  this  war.  We  have 
waged  it  with  all  our  heart,  with  all  our  courage,  with  all  our 
determination.  We  are  waging  it  with  our  men,  with  our 
women,  with  our  children ;  as  regards  the  men,  I  have  lived  with 
them,  side  bv  side,  during  the  months  which  were  perhaps  the 
most  tragic,  but  also  the  most  magificent  of  all  my  life;  and, 
when  today  I  speak  of  my  men,  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  repeat 

109 


Lafayette  Day  in  Milwaukee 

what  our  commander-in-chief,  Gen.  Petain,  said  a  few  weeks 
ago:  "Don't  mention  us,  the  officers,  the  generals.  Mention  only 
the  men ;  we  have  done  nothing.  The  men  have  done  every 
thing;  the  men  have  been  admirable.  We,  the  chiefs,  can  only 
kneel  down  before  them." 

I  think  that  they  have  been  -admirable.  Never  has  their 
morale  been  better,  never  has  their  fighting  spirit  flamed  forth 
more  ardent  and  more  pure.  And,  believe  me,  my  friends,  it  is 
with  the  morale,  it  is  with  the  spirit,  as  much  as  with  material 
and  with  guns,  that  today  you  win  a  battle.  When,  three 
months  ago,  they  were  retreating  toward  Amiens  and  Paris,  we 
knew  that  we  could  say :  "Their  bodies  are  falling  back,  but  not 
their  hearts."  And,  when,  today,  we  see  them  advancing,  hand 
in  hand  with  their  American  brothers,  we  know  that  we  can 
say:  "They  shall  pass." 

Yes,  they  shall  pass  and  they  know  why  they  are  fighting. 
You  know  it,  too.  They  are  not  fighting  for  money  or  for 
domination  or  for  new  territories.  They  are  fighting  for  some 
thing  which  is  much  higher.  They  are  fighting  for  the  very  right 
thing  for  which  you,  in  this  country,  you  have  fought  and  suf 
fered,  battled  and  bled,  in  the  past — for  an  ideal. 

To  Restore  Spirit  of  Liberty. 

Our  ideal  is  to  restore  in  Europe  a  spirit  of  liberty,  of  human 
ity,  but  above  all,  of  respect  for  international  law.  That  spirit 
will  be  restored  only  when  the  other  spirit,  the  spirit  of  brutality, 
of  aggression,  of  domination  will  have  been  extirpated  from 
Europe.  That  other  spirit  is  symbolized  by  the  Prussian 
militarism,  the  Prussian  militarism  must  go.  It  shall  go  when 
the  Germans  will  realize  that  they  are  not  the  strongest,  but 
the  weakest ;  when  they  wll  realize  that  they  have  not  to  dictate 
terms  of  peace,  but  that  they  have  to  agree  to  terms  of  peace; 
when  they  will  realize  that  they  have  to  respect  the  indepen 
dence  and  the  liberty  of  every  nation  in  Europe,  great  or  small, 
strong  or  weak,  as  the  supreme  law  of  Europe  and  of  the  world. 
For  that,  we  shall  fight  to  the  end. 

All  our  terms  of  Peace — all  these  terms  of  Peace  about  which 
there  have  been  so  many  talks — blong  to  that  Ideal.  They 

no 


Address  by  Stephanc  Lauzanne 

can  be  summed  up  in  three  words:  Reparation,  restitution,  and 
guarantees.  Reparation  there  cannot  be  for  the  cathedral  of 
Rheims,  for  the  slaughter  of  women  and  children,  but  there  are 
some  other  things  for  which  there  can  be  reparation.  Treasures 
of  art  have  been  taken  away  from  all  the  museums  of  the  north 
of  France  and  of  Belgium.  They  must  come  back.  All  the  castles, 
all  the  residences  of  northern  France  and  Belgium  have  been 
stripped  of  their  tapestries,  furniture  and  paintings.  These  must 
all  come  back.  All  the  factories  have  been  robbed  of  their 
equipment,  their  machinery,  their  pumps,  their  trucks.  Other 
pumps  and  machinery  must  be  put  in  place.  All  the  great  cities 
of  Belgium  and  the  north  of  France  have  been  obliged  to  pay 
enormous  indemnities  of  war  to  Germany.  These  indemnities 
amount  to  more  than  $1,000,000,000.  This  $1,000,000,000  must 
come  back.  No  indemnities,  quite  so,  we  agree  to  that,  but 
precisely  because  there  must  be  no  indemnities,  all  the  indem 
nities  already  extorted  must  be  made  good. 

Want  Alsace-Lorraine. 

Just  as  we  want  reparation  we  want  restitution.  We  want 
restitution  of  all  the  territories  occupied  by  Germany  and  in 
France  we  cannot  make  any  difference  between  the  territories 
occupied  since  forty-seven  months  and  the  territories  occupied 
since  forty-seven  years.  We  make  no  difference  between  the 
five  departments  forming  the  provinces  of  Champagne  and 
Flanders,  and  the  five  departments  forming  the  provinces  of 
Alsace  and  Lorraine.  This  is  a  question  of  right,  and  you  cannot 
bargain  with  right.  You  have  to  hold  on  with  right  or  you 
have  to  fall  with  it. 

Just  as  we  want  reparation  and  restitution,  we  want  guaran 
tees,  and  those  are  our  terms  of  peace.  I  don't  need  to  tell  you 
that  they  are  not  the  terms  of  peace  of  autocracy.  Autocracy 
has  not  lost  every  hope.  Autocracy  has  still  the  hope  that 
having  been  unable  to  defeat  us  by  the  sword,  it  will  be  able 
to  defeat  us  by  words.  Autocracy  has  found  a  new  and  powerful 
ally.  It  is  anarchy,  and  this,  my  friends,  is  not  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  world  that  we  see  autocracy  and  anarchy 
attempting  to  crush  democracy,  but  to  autocracy  even  talking 

ill 


Lafayette  Day  in  Philadelphia 

of  peace,  even  helped  by  anarchy,  we  say  today  and  we  shall 
say  tomorrow:  "No,  you  have  appealed  to  the  guns.  We'll  let 
the  guns  speak."  Those  guns  are  speaking  magificently  today 
and  they  will  speak  still  better  in  a  few  days  when  all  the 
American  boys  will  be  behind  them.  We  are  winning,  my 
friends,  we  are  winning. 

A  year  ago  when  Joffre  and  Viviani  visited  the  United 
States  they  were  received  in  a  great  university  of  the  middle 
west  and  the  president  of  that  university,  in  greeting  them,  said: 
"We  are  brothers  in  the  same  cause.  For  that  cause  we  shall 
give  our  last  man  and  our  last  heart-beat."  Those  were  magni 
ficent  words  and  they  should  be  carved  in  bronze.  Yes,  to  the 
last  man  and  the  last  beating  of  heart,  so  that  free  people  may 
live  free  under  the  flag  of  liberty !  To  the  last  man  and  the  last 
beating  of  heart,  so  that  our  children  and  the  children  of  -iur 
children  may  live  proud  and  happy  and  enjoy  the  blessings  ot 
the  sunshine  without  having  to  fear  the  return  of  such  horrors. 

To  the  last  man  and  the  last  beating  of  heart,  until  victory 
is  won! 

That  victory  will  not  be  our  victory,  it  will  not  be  your 
victory;  it  will  not  be  the  victory  of  our  Canadian  or  of  our 
British  brothers ;  it  will  not  be  the  victory  of  any  people.  It 
will  be  the  victory  of  an  ideal,  of  the  immortal  ideal  for  which 
fought  Lafayette  and  Washington,  for  which  we  all  are  fighting ; 
it  will  be  the  victory  of  Right  of  Justice,  of  Humanity  and  of 
Civilization. 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

Exercises  were  held  at  Independence  Square,  as  also  in  the 
grand  court  of  the  Wanamaker  store.  A  message  more  subtle 
than  ever  sped  across  the  seas  by  wireless,  passed  invisibly  and 
soundlessly  between  France  and  the  United  States,  when  the 
Lafayette-Washington  flag  was  raised  on  the  tower  of  Inde 
pendence  Hall.  Simultaneously,  a  sister  flag  unloosed  its  folds 
from  the  tower  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville  in  Paris,  which  flag  was 
presented  by  the  Lafayette  Committee  at  Philadelphia  to  the 
City  of  Paris  on  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  Lafayette- 

112 


Lafayette  Day  in  Philadelphia 

Marne  Day  last  year.  The  stars  in  both  flags  are  set  in  the 
wreath  design  of  the  first  flag  made  by  Betsy  Ross,  the  stars 
representing  the  13  original  states.  Messages  were  read  from 
the  President  of  France,  Marshals  Foch  and  Joffre,  General 
Pershing,  Vice-Admiral  Sims  and  Ambassabor  Sharp,  all  breath 
ing  the  spirit  of  victory  for  the  Allies,  the  messages  of  the 
French  President  and  marshals  in  praise  of  American  soldiers 
en  the  western  front,  and  of  the  American  General,  Vice-Admiral 
and  Ambassador,  in  praise  of  the  valor  of  the  French  and 
British  forces. 

The  celebration  in  Independence  Square  was  a  combined 
naval,  military  and  civil  function,  arranged  by  the  Lafayette's 
Birthday  Citizens'  Committee,  assisted  by  officials  of  the  10 
local  societies  comprising  the  French  colony. 

Shortly  before  2  o'clock,  led  by  Doctor  G.  F.  Giroud,  the 
members  of  the  societies  in  the  French  colony,  carrying  their 
flags  and  banners  marched  to  the  square  from  the  French 
Consulate  at  No.  524  Walnut  Street,  where  they  were  soon 
joined  by  the  singing  battalion  of  marines  and  500  sailors  from 
League  Island  Navy  Yard.  The  marines  and  sailors  marched 
separately  from  the  yard,  and  each  was  headed  by  its  own  band. 

The  chief  orators  of  the  day  were  Dr.  Charles  E.  Sajous,  of 
Philadelphia  and  Lieutenant  R.  d'Aigny,  a  descendant  of 
Rochambeau.  The  Lieutenant  had  fought  with  his  command 
until  the  last  officer  died  and  then  had  succeeded  with  a  little 
machine  gun  battery  in  holding  off  400  Germans  until  help 
arrived.  Lieutenant  d'Aigny  was  introduced  as  the  "man  who 
had  fought  400  Germans  alone."  He  wore  the  insignia  of  the 
iQth  Battalion,  Chasseurs  a  pied,  classed  in  France  as  "Blue 
Devils  of  the  Marne."  He  also  described  the  Battle  of  the  Marne 
in  which  he  participated  and  where  he  displayed  extraordinary 
heroism. 

The  "Singing  Battalion"  of  the  United  States  Marines,  500 
strong,  paraded  to  the  place  of  the  ceremonies  and  led  in  song 
the  surprisingly  large  crowd  which  had  gathered. 

The  Marine  Corps  Band  from  the  navy  yard  made  up  of 
Kansas  State  College  men  sang  camp  favorites.   Adjutant  J.  Camp 
bell  Gilmore,  President  of  the  Lafayette  Citizens'  Committee,  pre- 
113 


Lafayette  Day  in  Philadelphia 

sided  over  the  ceremonies  and  introduced  the  speakers  and  after 
announcing  the  object  of  the  demonstration  read  the  message  from 
the  distinguished  French  and  American  fighters  and  statesmen. 

Doctor  Sajous,  the  first  orator  of  the  day  reviewed  in  detail 
the  life,  achievement  and  sacrifices  of  Lafayette.  Lieutenant 
d'Aigny  said  in  effect : 

"Had  it  not  been  for  the  spirit  of  men  like  Lafayette, 
France  might  well  have  shrunk  from  the  task  which  she 
fronted  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Remember  her  small 
army,  her  inadequate  equipment;  then  remember  how  she 
answered  to  Lafayette's  own  words : 

"  'Men  who  fight  for  liberty  must  win.'  '" 

Daniel  Donovane,  the  French  tenor,  sang  the  "Marseillaise"  in 
French  and  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner'1  in  English.  The  throng 
joined  in  the  latter,  and  as  it  was  sung  the  flag  in  honor  of  Lafay 
ette  was  raised  to  its  staff  on  the  tower.  It  was  carried  by  twenty 
women  of  the  ladies  of  the  American-French  Club,  of  the  city,  at 
the  head  of  the  French  colony  parade,  attended  by  Miss  Marion 
Reel,  attired  as  "Columbia,"  and  two  sailors  from  a  French  war 
ship,  Theophil  Cellier  and  Leroy  Joseph,  one  carrying  the  Amer 
ican,  the  other  the  French  flag. 

Gabriel  H.  Moyer,  retiring  president  of  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A.,  and 
City  Statistician  Edward  J.  Cattell  were  the  other  speakers.  The 
flag  was  drawn  to  its  staff  by  Charles  W.  Alexander  and  Acting 
French  Consul  Victor  Fonteneau. 

The  exercises  in  the  court  of  Wanamakers  store  was  attended 
by  -the  sailors  and  marines  of  the  navy  yard.  The  "Singing  Bat 
talion"  led  the  audience  in  patriotic  songs. 

A  message  from  the  French  Ambassador,  Jules  J.  Jusserand 
was  read  to  the  audience  by  Dr.  Joseph  Kossuth  Dixon.  The  pro 
gramme  included  the  playing  of  the  Marines  March,  "Semper 
Fidelis,"  by  the  bands  from  the  Marine  Corps  and  the  Sailors' 
Battalion,  the  band  from  the  Wanamaker  Commercial  Institute 
and  the  grand  organ. 

The  "Marsellaise"  and  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  were  given, 
the  former  as  a  salute  to  the  flag  of  France  and  the  latter  at  the 
end  of  the  programme  which  included  a  "Liberty  Song"  with  the 
marine  hymn  and  other  numbers,  under  Director  Albert  H.  Hoxie. 

114 


Lafayette  Day  in  Los  Angeles 
LOS  ANGELES,  CAL. 

Here  the  exercises  were  in  charge  of  the  Lafayette  Society 
of  California  under  the  direction  of  Hector  Alliot,  who  arranged 
a  fitting  programme  for  the  celebration  of  the  birthday  of 
Lafayette  at  Exposition  Park. 

The  Naval  Reserve  Band  and  the  Oratorio  Society  Choru.- 
added  the  stimulous  of  patriotic  music.  President  Alliot  read 
a  poem  by  Ernest  McGafFey  and  cables  from  President  Poin- 
care,  Marshal  Joffre,  General  Pershing  and  Ambassador  Sharp. 
The  first  speaker  was  John  Baptiste  Christain,  a  direct  de 
scendant  of  Lafayette  who  alluded  with  moving  pride  to  his 
ancestor  and  what  he  stood  for.  An  impressive  ceremony  was 
the  flag  raising,  commanded  by  Captain  France  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
with  a  detail  of  his  comrades,  the  whole  being  preceded  by  the 
playing  of  "America"  by  the  Naval  Reserve  Band  and  an  in 
vocation  by  Father  Johnson  of  the  Navy. 

A  delightful  symbolic  tableau  was  that  of  Miss  Helen 
Eyraud  as  the  tricolor  with  Miss  Rose  Vergez  as  "Alsace"  and 
Miss  Louise  Vergez  as  "Lorraine"  while  Miss  Antoinette  Bal 
lade  as  "France,"  sang  the  "Marseillaise." 

Louis  Sentous,  French  Consul,  gave  a  comprehensive  and 
stimulating  review  of  the  accomplishment  of  Lafayette,  showing 
the  wonderful  scope  of  his  effort  and  its  direct  application  to  the 
present  conflict  and  this  nation's  devotion  to  the  liberty  of  the 
world.  His  words  evoked  the  warm  response  in  the  hearts  ot 
his  hearers.  Judge  Benjamin  Franklin  Beldose  followed  in  an 
impassioned  appreciation  of  Lafayette  based  on  the  eulogy  given 
by  John  Quincy  Adams  in  1834  which  proved  to  be  largely  pro 
phetic  of  the  conditions  today.  George  S.  Patton,  a  descendant 
of  Washington  was  then  introduced.  He  spoke  on  "American 
Lafayette's"  saying  in  part:  "Any  man  who  advocates  a  peace 
without  a  final  victory  or  a  peace  not  dictated  by  the  Allies  is 
a  traitor  to  the  country.  Any  pacifism  in  America  until  we 
finally  win  would  make  all  that  has  been  done  in  vain." 

Father  Johnson  concluded  the  speaking  with  an  appeal  for 
constant  support  of  the  war  and  a  firm  adherence  to  the  Allies ; 
he  urged  a  greater  recognition  of  what  the  French  nation  had 


Lafayette  Day  in  Chicago. 

done  and  what  Lafayette  stood  for  in  this  struggle.  At  the 
close  of  the  exercises  the  assembly  sang  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner." 

Those  in  charge  of  the  above  programme  were  Doctor  Alliot, 
Pierson  W.  Banning  and  General  Charles  Henry  Whipple, 
U.  S.  A.,  retired,  and  the  musical  programme  was  directed  by 
Maestro  Edward  Lebegott. 


CHICAGO,  ILL. 

Lafayette  Day  was  observed  in  Chicago  at  the  United  States 
Government  Exposition,  the  day  being  known  as  "France  and  Allies 
Day".  Edouard  de  Billy,  Deputy  High  Commissioner  of  the  French 
Republic  was  the  speaker  of  the  day.  In  his  address  which  was 
devoted  mainly  to  Lafayette,  he  said : 

"What  Lafayette  sowed  in  his  valiant  fighting  during 
your  Revolutionary  War,  France  gloriously  reaps  today  in 
the  fighting  equally  valiant,  of  your  men  under  General 
Pershing. 

"Both  wars  were  struggles  for  liberty.  This  one,  great 
er  in  scope,  extends  to  many  more  peoples  and  to  more 
countries,  and  involves  armies  more  powerful,  but  the  es 
sential  principle  is  the  same — freedom,  for  which  your  coun 
try  and  my  country  stand." 

Mr.  de  Billy  was  introduced  by  Charles  S.  Hutchinson.  He  was 
followed  by  A.  Barthelmy,  Consul  of  France,  to  whose  speech 
a  response  was  made  by  Dean  Shailer  Matthews  of  the  University 
of  Chicago.  Messages  were  read  from  President  Poincare  and 
Marshal  Joffre.  Miss  Nannette  Marchand  and  Miss  Ruth  Leslie, 
flanked  by  a  soldier  and  a  sailor  sang  the  "Marseillaise"  and  the 
"Star  Spangled  Banner." 

At  the  same  time,  Mr.  de  Billy,  on  behalf  of  France,  presented 
to  the  organized  labor  of  Chicago  one  of  the  famous  French  75's— 
A  Marne  veteran. 

A  large  reception  was  held  at  the  Art  Institute  where  over  a 
thousand  paintings  from  the  brushes  of  French  soldier  artists  were 
exhibited.  The  works  were  painted  during  rest  periods  and  between 
service  in  the  trenches. 

116 


Lafayette  Day  in  New  Orleans,  Portland,  Little  Rock 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LA. 

Governor  Pleasant  and  Mayor  Behrman  issued  official  proclama 
tions  designating  Lafayette  Day  as  "Tag  Day"  of  the  Secours 
Louisianais  a  la  France  in  celebration  of  the  Lafayette-Marne  an 
niversary.  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  organized  a  large  parade  in 
which  three  large  bands  featured  in  addition  to  the  West  End  Naval 
Band  and  the  Algiers  Naval  Band.  The  parade  toured  the  business 
sections  of  the  city. 

PORTLAND,  OREGON. 

The  life  of  Marquis  de  Lafayette  and  his  influence  in  the 
American  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  and  the 
reciprocation  of  America's  debt  to  France  in  the  present  war,  were 
rehearsed  in  story  and  essay  by  children  of  the  schools  in  celebra 
tion  of  Lafayette-Marne  Day. 

At  the  grammar  schools  and  at  Franklin,  Jefferson,  Washing 
ton  and  Lincoln  High  Schools  the  students  observed  the  day  with 
patriotic  programs. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  ARK. 

A  large  audience  joined  in  singing  the  French  national  hymn 
"Marseillaise",  the  opening  number  on  the  program  at  a  celebration 
of  Lafayette's  Birthday  at  the  Scottish  Rite  consistory.  The  song 
was  led  by  the  consistory  choir  and  the  exercises  closed  with  the 
"Star  Spangled  Banner".  Selections  were  given  by  the  i62nd  De 
pot  Brigade  Band  under  the  direction  of  Sergeant  R.  L.  Lesem. 
Addresses  were  made  by  Major  Happe  of  the  French  Mission ; 
Major  Charles  E.  Taylor,  Governor  B rough  and  George  A.  Mc- 
Connell  of  the  Four  Minute  Men.  Fay  Hempstead,  chairman  of 
the  celebration,  recited  an  original  poem  "To  Lafayette",  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Tune  gave  a  solo  selection  of  "Joan  of  Arc",  an  organ  rendition  of 
"America"  with  chimes  accompaniment  was  particularly  pleading 
as  was  a  tableau  representing  Columbia  honoring  Lafayette.  Guests 

117 


Lafayette  Day  in  Nashville,  Squirrel  Island  and  Beaumont 

of  the  occasion  were  Colonel  Miller  of  Camp  Pike  and  members 
of  the  French  Mission. 


NASHVILLE,  TENN. 

An  interesting  and  appropriate  program  was  given  at  the  Court 
House  in  memory  of  Lafayette  under  the  Women's  Committee  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense.  The  program  included  patriotic 
songs  by  the  Liberty  Chorus,  vocal  solos  and  duets,  readings  and  a 
talk  on  "The  Belgian  Orphans"  by  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Akers  and  Pro 
fessor  R.  K.  Morgan  gave  an  interesting  talk  on  Lafayette  and  our 
debt  to  France.  The  exercises  closed  with  the  singing  of  "America". 


SQUIRREL  ISLAND,  MAINE. 

Lafayette  Day  was  observed  here  with  fitting  exercises.  The 
islanders  gathered  at  the  Casina  and  opened  the  exercises  bysing- 
ing  the"  "Star  Spangled  Banner'.  This  was  followed  by  the  reading 
of  a  poem  on  "Lafayette"  by  Mrs.  John  Oldham  of  Wellesley  Hills, 
Mass.  The  audience  sang  "Rally  Round  the  Flag"  and  Alexander 
Doyle  sang  the  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic".  An  address  was 
made  by  Daniel  Stanwood  of  Augusta,  regarding  his  experience  with 
American  boys  who  joined  the  British  Army  fighting  for  an  ideal 
as  Lafayette  had  done  here  a  century  or  more  ago.  Miss  Elsa  Reed 
of  New  York  City  then  sang  the  "Marseillaise".  Dr.  George  S. 
Dickerman  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  made  an  interesting  comparison 
of  the  ideals  of  Lafayette  and  Frederick  the  Great  and  the  ideals  that 
the  armies  are  fighting  for  today.  The  exercises  concluded  with  the 
singing  of  "America"  by  the  audience. 


BEAUMONT,  TEXAS. 

The  spirit  of  the  gallant  and  liberty-loving  Lafayette  pervaded 
Magnolia  Park,  when  the  Orphans  of  America  sang  for  the  Orphans 

118 


Lafayette  Day  in  Cincinnati 

of  France.  The  entire  celebration  was  in  charge  of  Garland  S. 
Brickley,  general  manager  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  The 
opening  address  was  made  by  Major  O.  C.  Guessaz  in  command  of 
troops  stationed  at  Beaumont.  He  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the 
gallant  Frenchman  who  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  American  colonies 
and  explained  to  the  people  what  a  gigantic  task  the  Allies  had 
undertaken  but  that  the  strife  must  continue  with  all  the  forces  at 
command  until  Kaiserism  had  been  stamped  from  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

Alfred  DuPerier,  a  descendant  of  the  French  colonists  in  Amer 
ica,  recounted  the  hardships  through  which  the  American  army 
passed  in  1776  in  which  they  were  joined  by  Lafayette. 

Mrs.  W.  G.  Lovell,  "mother"  of  the  French  war  orphans  adopted 
by  Jefferson  County,  made  a  brief  address  describing  the  condi 
tions  which  confronted  the  orphans  of  bleeding  France  and  how 
necessary  that  sympathy  for  them  should  be  crystalized  into  some 
concrete  form.  Community  singing  was  led  by  Mr.  Brickley  and 
Tom  J.  Lamb. 


CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 

While  there  was  no  general  observance  of  Lafayette  Day  in 
Cincinnati,  yet  the  simple  but  fitting  ceremony  at  Fountain  Square 
had  a  far-reaching  effect.  In  the  very  simplicity  of  the  ceremony 
lay  its  chief  merit.  The  sounding  of  "Taps"  (proclaimed  by  Major 
Galvin)  has  a  significant  meaning  and  when  promptly  at  5:30  the 
clarion  notes  of  the  bugles  sounded,  the  hurrying  crowd  around 
Fountain  Square  stopped,  traffic  was  momentarily  hushed  and  with 
bared  heads  the  people  stood  until  the  notes  of  the  bugles  died  away. 

This  was  a  fitting  testimonial  to  the  memory  of  the  immortal 
Lafayette  and  the  American  boys  who  are  fighting  in  France.  It 
was  in  keeping  with  the  nature  of  this  great  patriot,  who,  when 
our  country  was  in  peril,  gave  to  us  the  strength  of  his  wisdom,  his 
wealth  and  courage  so  that  this  land  should  forever  be  free.  The 
debt  we  owe  to  France  is  being  paid  and  we  are  fighting  in  his  be 
loved  land  so  that  France  and  the  world  may  have  the  freedom 
that  Lafayette  helped  us  to  gain. 

TI9 


Lafayette  Day  in  Seattle,  St.  Paul  and  Richmond 
SEATTLE,  WASH. 

Lafayette  Day  was  fittingly  observed  by  a  program  given  in 
Douglas  Hall  under  the  auspices  of  "L'Union  Francaise  and  Al- 
saciens-Lorrains.  American,  French  and  Belgian  soldiers  and  sail 
ors  sang  the  "Marsiellaise"  and  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner".  Judge 
Thomas  Burke,  the  chairman,  introduced  Judge  Fred  V.  Brown,  the 
principal  speaker,  in  addition  to  which  historical  tableaux  were 
presented  by  the  women  of  L'Union  Francaise  and  several  songs 
sung  by  Mrs.  Lida  Schirmer,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Ethel  Wood 
Hildreth. 


ST.  PAUL,  MINN. 

A  tableau  was  given  at  the  Fair  Grounds  under  the  joint  direc 
tion  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  Committee  for  the  Fatherless 
Children  of  France. 

Miss  Alica  Forepaugh  was  in  charge  of  the  St.  Paul  Committee 
while  Miss  Mary  Cutler  of  Minneapolis  directed  the  tableaus. 


RICHMOND,  VA. 

Impressive  ceremonies  were  held  in  the  auditorium  of  the  John 
Marshall  School  when  the  flag  was  presented  to  the  City  of  Rich 
mond  by  August  Simonpietri,  Franch  Consular  Agent,  on  behalf 
of  Ambassador  Jusserand,  as  a  material  symbol  of  honor  for  the  old 
dominion.  Besides  the  address  of  the  persona^  representative  of 
Ambassador  Jusserand,  addresses  were  delivered  by  Mayor  George 
Ainslie,  Col.  LeRoy  Hodges  and  Captain  Veissieres,  a  French  Mili 
tary  Instructor  at  Camp  Lee.  Captain  Veissieres  chose  as  his  topic 
"The  Miracle  of  the  Marne,"  while  that  of  Col.  LeRoy  Hodges  was 
on  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette.  Mayor  Ainslie  gave  an  outline  of  the 
war  activities  of  Richmond.  William  R.  Meredith  presided. 

1 20 


Lafayette  Day  in  Indianapolis,  Atlanta  and  Athens 
INDIANAPOLIS,  IND. 

Thousands  participated  in  the  celebration  of  Lafayette-Marne 
Day  at  the  monument  circle  under  the  auspices  of  the  War  Com 
munity  Service.  The  celebration  was  in  the  form  of  a  community 
sing  which  opened  with  the  singing  of  "America".  The  exercises 
closed  with  the  singing  of  the  "Marseillaise".  Claris  Adams  made 
a  short  speech. 

The  exercises  were  brief  but  filled  with  the  deep  appreciation  and 
gratitude  America  feels  toward  France. 


ATLANTA,  GA. 

The  birthday  of  Lafayette  was  celebrated  in  Georgia  in  accord 
ance  with  a  proclamation  by  Governor  Hugh  N.  Dorsey.  Exer 
cises  were  held  at  Piedmont  Park  in  Atlanta,  where  military  bands 
from  Camps  Gordon  and  Jessup  furnished  the  music  and  the  High 
vSchool  girls  of  the  City  sang  the  "Marseillaise".  General  Sage  of 
Camp  Gordon  and  representatives  of  the  French  and  British  armies 
were  the  guests  of  honor. 

The  celebration  was  arranged  by  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  of  which  Mrs.  Charles  S.  Rice  is  the  regent. 

Major  Riviers  delivered  an  address  on  the  Battle  of  the  Marne 
and  Doctor  N.  Ashby  Jones  on  Lafayette. 


ATHENS,  GA. 

Athens  fittingly  observed  Lafayette-Marne  Day  at  the  Octagon 
on  the  University  of  Georgia  Campus.  A  monster  parade  was  held 
previous  to  the  exercises  in  which  the  pupils  of  the  public  school, 
college  students  and  citizens  generally  took  part.  The  stage  at  the 
Octagon  was  artistically  decorated  with  American  and  French  flags 
and  a  picture  of  Lafayette  was  hung  in  the  centre  of  the  stage. 

Addresses  were  delivered  by  Judge  Andrew  H.  Cobb,  Lieutenant 
Andrew  Uhlmann  of  the  French  Army  and  Lieutenant  Walter 
Griffith. 

121 


Lafayette  Day  in  Hartford,  Berkeley  and  Jersey  City 
HARTFORD,  CONN. 

The  celebration  was  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Bridge 
port  War  Bureau  at  Lafayette  Park.  The  Faetana  Band  ren 
dered  appropriate  selections  while  Miss  Esther  Berg  sang  the 
"Marceillaise."  Attorney  T.  L.  Cullinan  and  Hon.  George  W. 
Wheeler,  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  War  Bu 
reau  presided,  and  Doctor  John  F.  Coyle  was  the  principal 
speaker. 

The  Four  Minute  speakers  paid  tribute  to  the  hero  of  France 
and  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  at  all  the  theatres  of  the  city. 


BERKELEY,  CAL. 

Lafayette  Day  was  observed  by  the  University  of  California. 
The  French  flag  was  flown  from  the  University  flag  pole,  and 
the  chimes  of  the  Saher  Tower  played  the  Marseillaise. 


JERSEY  CITY,  N.  J. 

A  committee  of  100  was  organized  for  the  celebration  at  La 
fayette  Park  in  Jersey  City.  A  detachment  of  150  French  sail 
ors  participated.  Tableaus  were  presented  by  the  Elks'  Club 
while  the  Police  Quartet  sang  and  Miss  Adele  Rankin  gave  a 
number  of  patriotic  songs.  Commissioner  A.  Harry  Moore  also 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  number  of  short  reel  moving  pictures 
of  a  patriotic  nature  which  were  shown  between  the  tableaus 
and  the  singing. 


122 


Lafayette  Day  in  Bayonne  and  Seattle 
BAYONNE,  N.  J. 

With  a  parade  fully  a  mile  long  in  which  several  thousand 
marchers  took  part  Lafayette  Day  was  appropriately  observed 
in  Bayonne.  It  was  reviewed  by  Mayor  Pierre  P.  Garben  and 
Commissioners  M.  T.  Cronin,  Hugh  A.  Mara  and  Horris  Rober- 
son  along  with  Col.  Arthur  Orme. 

School  Trustee  Thomas  Kernan,  Alfred  Beling,  William  Os- 
bahr  and  Harry  Levy  marched  in  the  procession,  as  did  J.  T.  R. 
Proctor,  head  of  the  Four-Minute  Men,  and  Rev.  Stephen  Crock 
ett,  Rev.  Ben  Turner,  G.  G.  Sleesmar  and  John  J.  Hickey,  Four- 
Minute  speakers. 

School  Trustee  Edward  Zeller  marched  at  the  head  of  a  com 
pany  of  Home  Guard  men  which  he  commands. 

Among  the  floats  which  attracted  much  attention  was  one 
entitled  "Joan  of  Arc,"  also  several  hundred  Red  Cross  workers 
marched  in  line. 

Another  feature  of  the  Bayonne  celebration  was  the  dedica 
tion  of  the  Lafayette  monument,  at  which  Governor  Edge  and 
Captain  Walter  K.  Harris  were  the  principal  speakers.  Gov 
ernor  Edge  briefly  summed  up  the  sacrifices  Lafayette  had  made 
for  America.  He  ended  by  voicing  the  following  hope : 

"May  the  American  defenders  of  France,  as  many  of  them 
as  possible,  live  to  return  to  the  bosoms  of  their  families  and 
afterward  to  observe  the  fruits  of  their  unstinted  courage  and 
generous  patriotism.  For  this  fruit  will  be  world-wide  de 
mocracy,  where  Lafayette's  was  national  democracy,  and  these 
defenders  are  showing  themselves  to  be  worthy  of  this  heritage 
of  Lafavette." 


SEATTLE,  WASH. 

Lafayette  Day  was  celebrated  in  Seattle  by  the  staging  of 
tableaus  by  the  French  organizations  and  Belgian  Club  of  the 
City.  Soldiers  and  sailors  from  Washington  training  camps  as 
sisted.  The  organizations  participating  were  1'Union  Francaise 
cle  Victoria,  B.  C,  and  the  new  Belgian  Club.  Mme.  Isabellc 
Mack,  president  of  1'Union  Francaise  was  in  charge  of  the  cele 
bration. 

123 


Lafayette  Day  in  Albany,  Buffalo  and  Auburn 
ALBANY,  N.  Y. 

The  birthday  of  Lafayette  and  the  Allied  victory  of  the 
Marne  were  celebrated  in  the  public  schools  at  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Jones,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  requested  all  the  prin 
cipals  to  explain  in  the  classrooms  what  Lafayette  did,  who  he 
was  and  what  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  meant.  Professor  Pratt 
gave  an  informal  talk  at  the  High  School  on  the  same  subject. 


BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 

Lafayette  Day  wa,-  celebrated  by  a  rousing  rally  at  Lafayette 
Square,  which  was  named  for  the  French  hero. 

Capt.  Hamilton  Ward  was  the  principal  speaker  and  after 
sketching  the  debt  of  gratitude  this  country  owes  to  Lafayette 
ended  his  talk  by  calling  upon  the  people  to  buy  war  stamps 
in  Lafayette  Square  on  Lafayette  Day  as  they  had  never  done 
before. 

The  orchestra  played  the  Marseillaise  arid  Charles  L.  Mache 
led  the  singing  by  the  people.  Mrs.  Katherine  Finnigan  Molter 
delivered  a  stirring  address. 


AUBURN,  N.  Y. 

Under  the  joint  auspices  of  Cayuga  County  Historical  So 
ciety,  Daughters  of  American  Revolution,  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  Home  Defense  Committee,  Lafayette  Day  exercises  were 
held  at  the  High  School  Assembly  Hall  at  Auburn,  New  York. 
The  program  was  begun  by  the  singing  of  the  Star  Spangled 
Banner  and  were  presided  over  by  the  Rev.  George  B.  Stewart, 
Chairman  of  the  Home  Defense  Committee.  Following  the  sing 
ing,  the  allegiance  to  the  flag  was  pledged  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Allied  flags.  "America's  Prayer,"  which  was  sung  to  the  tune 
of  "America/'  was  next  rendered  by  the  entire  assemblage,  after 

124 


Lafayette  Day  in  Auburn 

which  Rev.  Robert  Hastings  Nicols  gave  a  comprehensive  his 
tory  of  the  life  of  Marquis  Lafayette. 

In  introducing  Mr.  Nicols,  Doctor  Stewart  said  a  few  words 
about  the  hero  of  the  day  and  also  about  the  French  people  of 
to-day.  He  said  Lafayette  was  a  great  man  and  a  great  prophet, 
and  America  may  well  be  proud  of  celebrating  his  birthday.  In 
touching  upon  present  conditions  Doctor  Stewart  said :  The 
Battle  of  the  Marne,  the  fourth  anniversary  of  which  was  yes 
terday,  was  a  big  issue  in  the  war.  It  pronounced  victory  for 
the  Allied  cause,  and  it  became  apparent  that  the  Huns  would 
not  eat  their  Christmas  dinner  of  1914  in  Paris,  and  it  also  was 
decided  that  they  should  never  eat  a  Christmas  dinner  in  Paris. 

Mr.  Nicols  sketched  the  life  of  Lafayette  with  many  inter 
esting  details,  concluding  as  follows: 

"He  won  his  place  in  the  world  by  his  unselfish  devotion 
to  an  ideal,  and  his  name  will  always  live  in  the  hearts  and 
minds  of  Americans." 

Doctor  Stewart  then  read  a  telegram  of  good-wishes  from 
Ambassador  Jusserand  as  follows : 

"The  spirit  of  Washington  and  the  spirit  of  Lafayette 
are  still  with  us.  They  inspire  their  descendants  who  will 
win  the  day  as  they  themselves  did  in  their  time." 

The  guests  of  honor  were  French  naval  petty  officers. 

One  of  the  sailors  sang  the  Marseillaise  in  French  after  which 
Second  Mate  Albert  Raymond  made  an  address  in  his  native 
tongue,  a  translation  of  which  is  as  follows : 

"In  the  name  of  the  French  people  we  thank  you  for 
this  splendid  reception  of  our  men.  This  day  reminds  us 
of  the  great  day  when  Lafayette  came  to  this  country  in 
1776,  and  it  also  reminds  us  of  the  wonderful  day  when 
the  first  American  troops  landed  on  French  soil  in  1917. 
After  three  years  of  hardships  and  suffering  the  weary 
French  have  seen  America  come  into  the  struggle  and  it 
gives  them  new  courage  to  go  on.  While  the  Americans 
are  helping  abroad,  the  people  at  home  are  sacrificing  that 
the  French  people  may  have  food  to  eat,  and  shortly  the 
great  cause  for  right'  and  liberty  will  be  won.  While 

125 


Lafayette  Day  in  Auburn 
Lafayette  Day  in  Stamford 

America  did  not  forget  the  help  received  in  1776,  the 
French  of  today  will  never  forget  the  help  given  by  the 
United  States  in  1917." 

A  solo,  "Lafayette,  I  Hear  You  Calling  Me,"  was  then  sung 
by  Mrs.  William  A.  Aiken  after  which  General  Lafayette's  visit  to 
Auburn  in  1825  was  described  by  the  Rev.  John  Quincy  Adams. 

The  Lafayette  Committee  in  charge  was  as  follows : 

Charles  G.  Adams,  chairman ;  Hon.  Mark  I.  Koon,  Dr.  George 
B.  Stewart,  Capt.  Harry  B.  Kidney,  Henry  D.  Hervey,  Miss 
Annette  Tilden,  Miss  Florence  M.  Webster,  Miss  Julia  C.  Ferris, 
Mrs.  Albert  H.  Clark,  E.  H.  Gohl,  John  Van  Sickle,  H.  D.  Titus, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jules  Meyland,  Mrs.  Thomas  M.  Hunt,  Mrs.  Mar- 
cella  Malcolm,  Stephen  Hurish,  Dominic  Jaia,  Tony  Oropallo, 
Col.  Edgar  S.  Mosher,  Capt.  Sidney  J.  Aubin,  John  F.  McGrath, 
George  B.  Turner,  William  T.  Gallt,  Dr.  Robert  Nichols,  Capt. 
A.  H.  Jones. 

Grand  Marshal  of  the  Day,  Col.  Edgar  S.  Mosher  with  the 
following  aides :  Capt.  Sidney  J.  Aubin,  Capt.  A.  H.  Jones, 
Courtney  C.  Avery,  Jules  Meyland,  Mrs.  Marcella  Malcolm  and 
assistants. 

Quartette — Mrs.  William  A.  Aiken,  soprano ;  Mrs.  F.  W. 
Shaver,  contralto;  A.  L.  Hemingway,  tenor;  Charles  G.  Adams, 
basso;  William  H.  Adams,  pianist. 

Ushers— Elbert  C.  Wixon,  John  C.  O'Brien,  Porter  Beards- 
ley,  Eugene  C.  Donovan,  George  E.  Snyder,  Fred  B.  Wills. 


STAMFORD,  CONN. 

The  Lafayette-Marne  Day  celebration  held  at  Stamford,  Conn, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Stamford  Vigilance  Corps  of  the  Ameri 
can  Defense  Society  is  worthy  of  special  note.  From  reports  and 
photographs  of  the  fete,  the  Stamford  celebration  was  unquestion 
ably  among  the  most  elaborate  and  artistic  held  in  the  country.  The 
celebration  was  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Cabot, 

126 


Lafayette  Day  in  Stamford,  Conn. 

president  of  the  Stamford  Vigilance  Corps.  He  secured  the  en 
dorsement  and  support  of  Mayor  John  Treat,  who  later  issued  a 
proclamation  to  the  citizens  of  Stamford  officially  announcing  the 
fete  which  was  held  in  the  evening.  The  Mayor  also  appointed  an 
adjunct  Lafayette  Committee  of  citizens  to  assist  Mr.  Cabot  and 
among  other  local  organizations  co-operating  in  the  celebration  were 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  Stamford  Historical 
Society,  the  Shubert  Club  and  the  Women's  Club.  The  celebration 
took  the  form  of  a  street  pageant  symbolical  in  character  with  the 
participants  in  costume  representing  various  nationalities  and  eras. 
The  exercises  which  followed  were  extremely  artistic  and  of  his 
torical  value. 


127 


American  Defense  Spciety  Meetings 


AMERICAN  DEFENSE  SOCIETY  MEETINGS. 

Vigilance  Committees  of  the  American  Defense  Society  held  or 
participated  in  celebrations  on  Lafayette  Day,  September  6th,  1918, 
of  the  anniversary  of  Lafayette  and  the  Marne  in  the  following 
named  cities  of  a  total  of  201,  representing  43  states  and  the  District 
of  Columbia: 


Alabama 
Montgomery 

Arkansas 
Little  Rock 

California 
Los  Angeles 
San  Jose 
Sacramento 
Oakland 
San  Francisco 
Berkeley 
Stockton 
Martinez 
Hanford 

Colorado 
Denver 

Connecticut 
Stamford 
Meridan 
New   London 
New  Haven 
Hartford 


Delaware 


Wilmington 


Florida 
Jacksonville 
Tampa 
Gainesville 

Georgia 
Riseville 
Atlanta 
Rome 

Albany  Buelin 
Albany 
Buelin 
Savannah 
Augusta 
Dublin 


Boise 


Rockford 

Decatur 

Peoria 

Chicago 

Quiccy 


Idaho, 


Illinois 


Indiana 


Tndianapolis 
Evansville 

Ft.   Wayne 


Iowa 


Ft.    Dodge 
Des  Moines 
Cedar  Rapida 
Webster  City 
Coon   Rapids 


Kansas 


Huntington 
Topeka 


Louisville 
Paducah 


Kentucky 


Louisiana 
Shreveport 
Alexandria 
N  ew   Orleans 
Crowley 


Portland 


Baltimore 
Frederick 


Maine 


Maryland 


Massachusetts 
Worcester 
Beverly 
Boston 
Lynn 

New  Bedford 
Taunton 
Fall  River 
Lowell 
Haverhill 
Westfield 
Gloucester 
Attleboro 


Detroit 
Bay  City 


Michigan 


Minnesota 


St.  Paul 

St.   Cloud 

Rochester 

Mankato 

Winona 

iladison 

Mississippi 
V'icksburg 

Missouri 
Carthage 
Kansas    City 
St.  Louis 
Hannibal 
Jackson 
Spingfield 


Havre 
Missoula 


York 

Omaha 

Lincoln 


Montana 


Nebraska 


Reno 

Tonopah 

Lincoln 


Nevada 


New   Hampshire 
Manchester 

New  Jersey 
Atlantic  City 
Trenton 
Hoboken 
Weehawken 
Asbury   Park 
Newark 
Camden 
Elizabeth 
Bridgeton 
Perth  Amboy 
Bayonne 
Jersey  City 

New    Mexico 
Albuquerque 
Santa  Fee 
E.   Las   Vegro 

New  York 
New  York  City 
Brooklyn 
Watertown 

Rome 

Mt.  Vernon 

White  Plains 

Jamestown 

llornell 

Niagara    Falls 

Syracuse 

Ithaca 

Middietowu 

Rochester 

Troy 

Lockport 

Yonkers 

Auburn 

Poughkeepsie 

New  Rochelle 

Bronx 

Glens  Falls 

Tonawanda 

Ballston   Spa 

Utica 

Buffalo 

Batavia 

North    Carolina 
Charlotte 
Wilmington 
Greensboro 

North    Dakota 
New  Rockford 
Bisrnark 
Fargo 


American  Defense  Society  Meetings 


Ohio 


Canton 

Youngstown 

Columbus 

Cincinnati 

Dayton 

Urban* 

Mansfield 

Tiffin 

Oklahoma 
Tulsa 
Muskogee 

Pennsylvania 
Philadelphia 
Heading 
Pittsburg 
iMorristown 
Memphis 
Pottsville 
Altoona 
Roanoke 
Hazelton 
Wilkes-Barre 
Doylestown 
I'niontown 
Erie 

Lancaster 
Easton 
V\'ashington 
Cambridge   Springs 


Rhode   Island 
Providence 

South    Carolina 
Columbia 

South    Dakota 

Sioux    Falls 
Mitchell 
Yorkton 
Lead 


Tennessee 


Memphis 
Lafayette 
Nathville 
Knoxville 
Bristol 


Beaumont 

El  Paso 

Galveston 

Dallas 

Houston 

Austin 

Ft.  Worth 


Ogden 


Texas 


Virginia 
Richmond 
Lyncliburg 
Petersburg 
Leeeburg 
Harrisonburg 


Seattle 


Washington 


West 


Utah 


Wheeling 
Bloomfieid 

Wisconsin 

Milwaukee 

Beloit 

Madison 

Green  Bay 

Plymouth 

Sparta 

Superior 

Platteville 

Sheboygen 

Athens 

Marinette 

Dist.  oj  Columbia 
Washington 


In  the  following  named  cities  numbering  74,  branches  of  the 
Women's  Committee  of  the  American  Defense  Society  held  celebra 
tions  on  Lafayette  Day  of  the  anniversary  of  Lafayette  and  the 
Marne : 


Donaldsonville,  La. 
Freeland,  Pa. 
El  Dorado  Springs,  Mo. 
Janesville,  Wis. 
Forsyth,   Mont. 
Riverton,    Wyo. 
Doylestown,   Pa. 
Leechburg,  Pa. 
Brookings,  Ind. 
Weiser,   Idaho 
Afton,  Wyo. 
American  Fork,  Utah 
Sac    City,    Iowa 
Blackstone,   Va. 
Norfolk,  Neb. 
Aurora,   Ind. 
Ellis,    Kans. 
Croswell,   Mich, 
b'ugar   City,  Colo. 
Livingston,  Mont. 
Willsboro,  N.  Y. 
Maquoketa,  Iowa 
Ely,   Kev. 

Saint   George,   Utah 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 


Chinook,    Mont. 
Veedersburg,  Ind. 
Lincoln,   Kans. 
Muskogee,  Okla. 
Whitesboro,  Texas 
Salisbury,  Md. 
Grenada,   Miss. 
Towanda,  Pa. 
Hoopeston,    111. 
Camden,    Ohio 
Lebanon,  N.  J. 
Alameda,  Calif. 
Lake    Okabogi,    Iowa 
Cloquet,    Minn. 
Vancouver,  Wash. 
Sheboygan,   Wis. 
Wilmington,   I1L 
Cambridge  Springs,   Pa. 
Apalachicola,  Fla. 
Blowing  Rock,   N.   C. 
Au   Sable   Forks,  N.    Y. 
Colusa,  Calif. 
Wymore,    Kebr. 
Wichita  Falls,  Tex. 
.Nampa,   Idaho 


Summerville,  S.   C. 
Lafayette,  R.  I. 
•spokane,  Wash. 
Dublin,   Ga. 
Fernandina,    Fla. 
Monessen,  Pa. 
Grafton,  N.  D. 
Morgan   City,   La. 
Somerville,  N.   J. 
Riverside,  R.   I. 
Harrinian,    Tenn. 
Clinton,    Okla. 
Aorth   Bend,  Ore. 
Rupert,  Idaho 
Davenport,   Wash. 
New  Hartford,  Conn. 
Bishop,  Calif. 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Burley,  Idaho 
Ilackensack,  N.  J. 
Milford, 
Seaside,    Ore. 
Charlestown,  W.  Va. 


I29 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 
LAFAYETTE  DAY  IN  THE  CAMPS 

CAMP  BEAUREGARD,  LOUISIANA 

A  mass  meeting  for  white  troops  was  held  at  the  camp,  Chap 
lain  Clifton  R.  Miller,  Fifth  Infantry,  presiding.  The  Fifth  In 
fantry  Band  rendered  the  music.  A  prayer  was  said  by  Chaplain 
Thomas  L.  Kelly,  while  the  Liberty  Quartet  rendered  some  se 
lections.  Mass  singing  was  led  by  Mr.  Frank  R.  Hancock,  and 
an  address  made  by  H.  H.  White  of  Alexandria.  The  cere 
monies  closed  with  the  singing  of  "America." 

At  the  Base  Hospital  the  presiding  officer  was  Major  Donald 
J.  Frick.  The  prayer  was  led  by  Chaplain  Stephen  R.  Wood, 
while  the  2Qth  Infantry  Band  furnished  the  music.  Mass  sing 
ing  was  led  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Klingman  and  an  address  given  by 
Norman  Brighton.  These  ceremonies  also  closed  with  the  sing 
ing  of  "America." 

A  meeting  was  also  held  in  the  quarantine  enclosure  by 
Company  K,  Development  Battalion,  where  Lieut.  F.  P.  Robin 
son  presided.  Chaplain  Gee  opened  with  prayer  and  the  Liberty 
Quartet  sang.  The  address  was  made  by  Norman  Brighton. 

The  Labor  Battalion  held  its  exercises  with  Capt.  Newman 
Smith,  presiding.  Mass  singing  was  led  by  Rev.  Davis  of  Alex 
andria,  while  the  colored  Male  Glee  Club  rendered  some  appro 
priate  music.  The  speaker  was  Rev.  J.  R.  Campbell,  of  Alex 
andria,  and  an  added  musical  entertainment  that  of  a  quartet  of 
colored  negro  soldiers. 


CAMP  JOHNSON,  FLORIDA 

The  soldiers  were  gathered  around  the  bandstand  where  the 
"The  Star  Spangled  Banner"  and  "Marseillaise"  were  played, 
while  the  commanding  officer  made  appropriate  remarks  in  com 
memoration  of  the  Birthday  of  Lafayette  and  the  Battle  of  the 
Marne.  Owing  to  the  unfavorable  weather,  the  exercises  were 
very  brief. 

130 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 
CAMP  KEARNEY,  CALIFORNIA 

The  troops  were  paraded  by  regiment  at  retreat.  Retreat 
was  sounded  and  the  troops  being  at  attention,  the  "Marseil 
laise"  followed  by  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  were  played. 

The  following  sketch  on  the  Life  of  Lafayette  was  then  read : 

The  Marquis  de  Lafayette 

We  hear  continually,  patriotic  men  of  affairs  who  are  sacri 
ficing  time,  money  and  opportunity  to  serve  not  their  country 
alone  but  the  whole  world.  Today  we  commemorate  the  birth 
of  one  of  the  greatest  patriots  the  .world  ever  knew ;  one  who 
sacrificed  position,  wealth,  youth  and  royal  favor  to  help  make 
democracy  a  fact  and  not  a  dream  in  the  world. 

The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  was  born  September  6th,  1757,  in 
Auvergne,  known  as  the  Siberia  of  France.  At  the  age  of  thir 
teen  he  was  left  an  orphan,  injieriting  a  vast  fortune.  As  be 
tween  the  life  of  a  courtier  and  soldier,  he  chose  the  latter,  sub 
jecting  himself  to  the  severest  training.  The  thoroughness  of 
his  education  may  be  shown  in  an  incident  of  his  youth ;  a  dif 
ference  of  opinion  arose  at  school  as  to  the  exact  position  of  the 
Athenians  and  the  Persians  in  the  Battle  of  Plataea.  Lafayette 
set  out  to  find  out  whether  he  was  right  or  not  in  his  opinion, 
and  actually  went  on  foot  to  Marseilles  and  from  there  sailed 
as  cabin  boy  to  Greece,  Alexandria  and  Constantinople.  At  the 
latter  city  a  French  consul  caught  the  young  investigator  and 
sent  him  home. 

When  scarcely  eighteen  years  of  age,  while  captain  of  the 
.dragoons  at  the  French  garrison  of  Metz,  the  struggles  of  the 
thirteen  colonies  came  to  Lafayette's  notice,  and  to  quote  his 
own  words,  "such  glorious  cause  had  never  before  attracted  the 
attention  of  mankind ;  it  was  the  last  struggle  of  Liberty,  and 
had  sfye  then  been  vanquished,  neither  hope  nor  asylum  would 
have  remained  for  her.  The  oppressors  and  oppressed  were  to 
receive  a  powerful  lesson ;  the  great  work  was  to  be  accom 
plished,  or  the  rights  of  humanity  were  to  fall  beneath  its  ruins. 
When  I  first  learned  of  this  quarrel,  my  heart  espoused  warmly 
the  cause  of  Liberty,  and  I  thought  of  nothing  but  of  adding 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

also  the  aid  of  my  banner.  *  *  *  I  ventured  to  adopt  for  a 
device  on  my  arms  these  words  "Cur  non?"  (Why  not),  that 
they  might  equally  serve  as  an  encouragement  to  myself  and  a 
reply  to  others." 

Then  it  was  that  the  first  expeditionary  force  sailed  not  to 
France,  but  from  France.  In  the  spring  of  1757,  Lafayette 
bought  and  secretly  equipped  a  vessel  named  the  Victory,  to 
carry  himself  and  a  dozen  other  officers  across  the  Atlantic. 
After  a  seven  weeks'  voyage,  they  landed  near  Charlestown,  and 
a  tedious  journey  of  nine  hundred  miles  awaited  them.  Arriving 
in  Philadelphia,  the  seat  of  the  government  at  that  time,  they 
presented  their  credentials.  At  first  Congress  did  not  wholly 
believe  in  the  disinterested  motives  of  men  who  had  endured 
untold  hardships  to  help  an  unknown  people,  but  determined  to 
gain  a  hearing,  Lafayette  wrote  asking  two  favors  of  Congress : 
"One  is  that  I  may  serve  without  pay,  at  my  own  expense ;  the 
other  that  I  may  be  allowed  to  serve  at  first  as  a  volunteer."  This 
amazing  offer  secured  attention.  Immediately  the  services  so 
generously  tendered  were  accepted  and  the  rank  of  Major  Gen 
eral  was  granted  the  young  Frenchman. 

And  young  man  he  certainly  was,  so  young  that  he  would 
have  missed  our  draft  of  the  past  year.  His  twentieth  birthday 
was  celebrated  six  months  after  he  set  sail  from  France,  and  yet 
General  Washington  addressing  Congress  concerning  the  titled 
volunteer,  wrote  as  follows :  "It  is  my  opinion  that  the  com 
mand  of  troops  in  that  State  cannot  be  in  better  hands  than  the 
Marquis*.  He  possesses  uncommon  military  talents,  is  of  a 
quick  and  sound  judgment,  persevering  and  enterprising,  with 
out  rashness,  and  beside  these,  he  is  of  a  conciliating  temper  and 
perfectly  sober,  which  are  qualities  that  rarely  combine  in  the 
same  person.  And  were  I  to  add  that  some  men  will  gain  as 
much  experience  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years  as  some 
others  will  in  ten  or  a  dozen,  you  cannot  deny  the  fact  and  at 
tack  me  on  that  ground."  On  this  recommedation  Lafayette  was 
appointed  to  command  a  division,  and  served  with  the  interrup 
tion  of  one  trip  to  France,  till  the  close  of  the  war. 

Thus,  it  was,  (to  quote  Ambassador  Van  Dyke),  "that  Amer 
ica  enrolled  in  the  imperishable  cause  of  Liberty  a  most  noble, 

132 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

perfect  knight,  a  man  so  brave  that  when  he  was  wounded  at 
Brandywine  he  fought  with  the  blood  running  out  of  his  boots; 
a  man  so  devoted  that  he  refused  the  absolute  command  of  an 
army  to  invade  Canada,  because  he  detected  in  the  offer  a  cabal 
against  his  chief ;  a  man  so  unselfish  that  he  resigned  the  leader 
ship  of  the  troops  to  another  at  Monmouth  without  a  murmur, 
because  his  chief  wished  it,  a  man  so  courteous  that  he  neither 
took  nor  gave  offense  *  *  *  a  man  so  steadfast  that  he 
never  relaxed  his  efforts  until  the  alliance  between  France  and 
America  bore  full  fruit  in  the  presence  of  the  French  fleet  and 
the  French  Army  under  Rochambeau  at  Yorktown,  and  then  a 
man  so  high  minded  that  he  would  not  advance  to  crush  Corn- 
wallis  until  Washington  was  present  to  command  the  final  vic 
tory." 

When  Lafayette  appeared  the  colonies  had  been  bled  almost 
white,  a  succession  of  defeats ;  (again  to  quote  his  own  words)  : 
"New  York,  Long  Island,  White  Plains,  Fort  Washington,  and 
the  Jerseys  had  seen  the  American  forces  successively  destroyed, 
three  thousand  Americans  alone  remained  in  arms."  With  La 
fayette's  help  we  won. 

A  year  ago  General  Pershing  placed  a  wreath  on  the  tomb 
of  Lafayette  in  the  Picpus  Cemetery  in  Paris,  and  the  three 
words  spoken  by  him  on  that  occasion,  "Lafayette  nous  voila" 
(Lafayette  we  are  here),  may  fittingly  be  repeated  today.  We 
are  in  France  and  there  our  armies  shall  remain  until  Lafayette's 
country  is  made  safe  for  democracy. 


CAMP  WHEELER,  GEORGIA 

The  brief  formal  exercises  were  held  in  the  grove  at  Division 
Headquarters,  which  were  followed  by  an  informal  smoker. 
Music  was  furnished  by  the  bands  of  the  I22nd  and  I24th  Infan 
try  Regiments.  The  soldiers  encamped  at  Camp  Wheeler  are 
known  as  the  "Dixie  Division,"  commanded  by  Major  General 
Leroy  S.  Lyon,  who  made  a  few  remarks  appropriate  to  the  oc 
casion.  Addresses  were  made  by  Brig.  Gen.  W.  A.  Harris,  on 
"General  Lafayette,"  and  Capt.  Masson-Forrestier,  of  the  French 
Military  Mission,  on  "The  Battle  of  the  Marne."  The  exercises 
closed  with  the  singing  of  "The  Marseillaise." 

133 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

CAMP  GORDON,  GEORGIA 

This  camp  is  an  infantry  replacement  and  training  school, 
where  intensive  training  is  essential  to  accomplish  the  mission  of 
training  men  for  active  duty  abroad  in  the  shortest  practicable 
time.  However,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  there  was  little  time  to  give 
to  celebrations,  Lafayette  Day  was  not  overlooked.  The  "Mar 
seillaise"  was  sung  and  the  birthday  of  Lafayette  honored. 


CAMP  JACKSON,  COLUMBIA,  S.  C. 

Lafayette  Day  was  celebrated  in  the  camp  on  a  large  scale. 
Advantage  was  taken  of  this  day  to  celebrate  at  the  same  time 
the  recent  naturalization  of  more  than  2,000  soldiers  of  44  differ 
ent  nationalities. 

The  auditorium  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  taxed  to  its  capacity 
with  soldiers  and  civilians,  featured  by  the  attendance  of  Gov 
ernor  Manning,  General  Danford  and  other  civilian  and  military 
dignitaries,  inspiring  music  and  ceremonies  appropriate  to  the 
occasion.  The  two-hour  program  held  the  interest  of  the  audi 
ence  throughout  and  was  frequently  interrupted  by  applause  and 
cheers. 

General  Danford  in  his  address  reviewed  the  career  of  La 
fayette,  referring  to  the  debt  which  the  United  States  owes  to 
France,  and  emphasized  his  pride  in  his  men  who  have  come 
from  almost  every  country  in  the  world  to  help  the  United 
States  repay  this  indebtedness  and  help  make  the  world  safe  for 
democracy.  "When  I  go  about  the  camp  and  watch  the  troops 
at  drill/'  said  General  Danford,  "I  am  not  so  much  interested  in 
seeing  whether  they  do  their  'one-two,  one-two'  exercises  ex 
actly  right,  but  I  am  vitally  concerned  in  watching  their  faces 
and  the  determination  that  I  see  reflected  there.  It  is  the  spirit 
they  show  which  has  been  characterized  by  Premier  Clemenceau 
as  'peculiarly  American/  the  spirit  which  the  Germans  have  all 
learned  to  fear.  And  at  night  when  I  hear  singing  here  and 
there  and  everywhere  throughout  the  camp  and  remember  this 
determination  exhibited  in  the  day  and  the  wonderful  morale 
indicated  by  their  songs  I  know  that  this  war  must  end  in  one 
way  and  in  one  way  only." 

134 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

Governor  Manning  complimented  the  soldiers  of  Camp  Jack 
son  upon  their  snap  and  "pep."  He  said  he  had  heard  that  the 
salute  was  the  index  of  a  soldier  and  he  knew  from  the  way  the 
Camp  Jackson  men  came  up  to  a  salute  that  they  were  indeed 
a  wonderful  body  of  troops.  He  paid  tribute  to  the  bravery  of 
the  British,  French,  Italians  and  other  allies,  recalling  how  they 
had  fought  the  world's  battles  for  three  years  until  the  United 
States  had  reached  the  limit  of  human  endurance  and  gone  to 
their  aid.  He  emphasized  the  fact  that  there  must  be  no  negoti 
ated  peace  in  which  the  lying  diplomats  of  Germany  would  have 
the  least  opportunity  to  dictate  to  the  Allies  in  any  way  because 
of  the  fact  that  an  armistice  had  been  declared  or  an  undecided 
issue  was  at  hand. 

"We  are  all  starting  now  to  pay  back  to  the  French  what 
they  did  for  the  American  colonies  more  than  100  years  ago," 
continued  Governor  Manning.  "The  United  States  should  not 
lend  a  few  paltry  millions  or  billions  to  France,  but  we  should 
give  these  billions  to  them  as  a  part  payment  of  our  immemorial 
debt  to  that  great  nation.  I  understand  now  why  Pershing, 
when  he  approached  the  grave  of  Lafayette,  said:  "Lafayette, 
we  are  here." 

Under  the  direction  of  William  McEwan,  camp  song  leader, 
the  audience  sang  "America"  and  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner." 
Representatives  of  the  French,  British,  Italian  and  Greek  sol 
diers  naturalized  during  August  sang  their  national  anthems. 
One  of  the  features  of  the  program  was  the  ceremony  of  pinning 
small  silk  American  flags  on  the  blouses  of  the  2,000  soldiers 
recently  naturalized,  conducted  by  60  nurses  from  the  base  hos 
pital  and  20  young  ladies  from  Columbia,  under  the  leadership 
of  Miss  Frances  Fender.  As  they  left  the  rostrum  Governor 
Manning,  General  Danford,  members  of  the  French  Visiting 
Commission  and  the  other  guests  were  similarly  decorated  by 
Miss  Walsh  of  the  base  hospital 

William  Carl  Lafayette  of  the  Ninth  Regiment,  F.  A.  R.  D., 
a  direct  descendant  of  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  was  called  from 
the  audience  and  expressed  his  appreciation  of  the  opportunity 
to  fight  for  the  two  countries  which  his  distinguished  ancestor 
had  served. 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 
CAMP  CUSTER,  MICHIGAN 

In  commemoration  of  the  double  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 
Lafayette  and  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  the  following  exercises 
took  place  in  the  camp. 

At  2  P.  M.  Deputy  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Michigan, 
George  L.  Lusk  made  an  address,  as  also  Judge  H.  Wirt  New- 
kirk,  of  Ann  Harbor. 

At  4  P.  M.  Joseph  L.  Hooper  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan, 
spoke,  as  also  H.  L.  Stuart,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Chicago,  who  has 
been  overseas. 

All  officers  and  enlisted  men  attended,  companies  were 
marched  to  the  assigned  places  of  assembly  by  their  sergeant, 
and  arranged  around  the  speakers'  platform. 


CAMP  HANCOCK,  AUGUSTA,  GEORGIA 

In  the  presence  of  Brig.  Gen.  Oliver  Edwards,  camp  com 
mander,  his  staff,  the  French  and  British  Military  Missions  and 
a  large  attendance  of  civilians,  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  from 
the  companies  of  the  seven  groups  and  the  3,000  students  of  the 
Central  Machine  Gun  Officer's  Training  School  passed  in  re 
view  at  the  camp. 

The  parade  started  at  9  A.  M.  The  men  formed  in  platoons 
and  preceded  by  the  band  and  the  commanding  officers  of  each 
group  marched  past  the  Commanding  General  and  reviewing 
party. 

The  tri-colors  were  repeatedly  cheered  by  the  soldiers  and 
civilians  who  witnessed  the  spectacle.  A  large  assemblage  of 
ladies  were  also  present. 

At  6  o'clock  the  Augusta  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  tendered  a  reception  at  Meadow  Garden, 
to  the  members  of  the  French  Mission  at  Camp  Hancock.  The 
honor  guests  also  included  the  commanding  officers  at  the  camp, 
General  Oliver  Edwards  and  his  staff,  the  members  of  the  Eng- 

136 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

lish  Mission  who  arc  here  as  special  instructors,  Mrs.  L.  S. 
Arrington,  local  chairman  National  Council  of  Defense ;  Mrs. 
John  N.  Clark,  president  of  the  U.  D.  C. ;  Mrs.  Isabella  Jordan, 
president  Colonial  Dames ;  Mrs.  James  F.  Wood,  State  regent 
of  the  D.  A.  R.,  and  the  members  of  the  local  chapter  D.  A.  R. 
The  band  from  headquarters  furnished  the  music. 


CAMP  UPTON,  NEW  YORK 

The  French  National  Flag  was  hoisted  at  Camp  Headquar 
ters  at  noon,  at  which  time  the  French  National  Air  was  played 
by  the  i52d  Depot  Brigade  Band. 


CAMP  DIX,  NEW  JERSEY 

The  total  strength  of  the  camp  at  this  time  was  about  50,000 
men.  Every  organization  large  or  small  held  some  form  of 
ceremony  in  commemoration  of  the  day.  A  general  celebration 
could  not  be  held  on  account  of  troop  movements  in  and  out  of 
camp. 

The  ceremony  of  escort  to  the  color  was  held  by  the  i36th 
Infantry  Regiment  at  n  A.  M.  Capt.  M.  Clavel,  of  the  French 
Military  Mission,  as  also  the  Non-Commissioned  Officer  person 
nel  of  the  French  Military  Mission  were  the  guests  of  honor  of 
the  Commanding  Officer.  The  Division  Commander  and  his 
staff,  all  Field  Officers  and  members  of  the  British  Military  Mis 
sion,  as  representatives  of  our  Allies  at  the  Battle  of  the  Marne, 
were  also  present. 

The  34th  Division,  then  just  arriving  from  the  WTest,  held 
a  regimental  review  and  escort  to  the  colors.  The  review  was 
received  by  the  Senior  French  Officer  present  and  by  the  French 
and  British  instructors  on  duty  in  the  camp. 

The  iogth  Engineers  formed  under  arms  at  usual  place  of 

137 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

assembly.    The  Commander  delivered  a  short  address  on  Lafay 
ette,  while  the  Regimental  Band  played  the  "Marseillaise." 

Casual  Detachment,  1533  Depot  Brigade:  The  members  of 
the  Casual  Detachment  were  assembled  and  a  suitable  talk  on 
the  subject  of  "Lafayette"  and  the  "Battle  of  the  Marne"  was 
made  by  the  Detachment  Commander. 

The  Commissioned  and  enlisted  personnel  of  the  Sub-Depot 
Quartermaster  were  assembled  at  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hut  No.  9  at 
6:15  P.  M.  where  suitable  ceremonies  were  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secretary  Smith  made  an  address 
outlined  the  history  of  Lafayette  in  relation  to  his  devotion  to 
this  country ;  he  also  gave  a  brief  talk  on  the  Battle  of  the  Marne 
;n  1914.  The  Conservation  and  Reclamation  Detachment  also 
attended  these  ceremonies. 

At  the  Base  Hospital  the  ceremonies  were  opened  with  songs 
by  the  soldiers.  A  brief  introductory  address  relating  to  the  na 
ture  of  the  celebration  and  its  significance  was  made  by  Lieut. 
R.  T.  Fox,  Commander  of  the  Detachment.  Vocal  and  instru 
mental  selections  were  given  by  Y.  M.  C.  A.  talent.  An  address 
was  also  made  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Edwards  who  has  just  returned  from 
France.  The  exercises  closed  with  the  singing  of  "America" 
by  the  soldiers. 

Capt.  F.  E.  Werntz  gave  his  officers  and  men  of  the  Camp 
Ordnance  Depot  a  talk  on  the  subject  of  the  Birthday  of  Lafay 
ette  and  the  Battle  of  the  Marne. 

The  ceremony  held  by  the  8nth  Pioneer  Infantry  consisted 
in  an  explanation  of  the  great  obligation  which  this  nation  has 
been  under  to  the  French  people,  that  Lafayette  and  Rocham- 
beau  were  among  the  generals  sent  us  by  France,  and  that  it 
was  in  great  part  due  to  their  efforts  and  other  Frenchmen  that 
the  independence  of  our  country  was  made  possible. 

The  men  of  the  Utilities  Co.,  Q.  M.  C.,  assembled  and  the  life 
of  Major  General  de  Lafayette  and  his  invaluable  aid  to  the 
United  States  during  the  Revolutionary  War  was  reviewed. 
The  Battle  of  the  Marne  was  described  and  the  ravages  of  the 
"Hun"  forcibly  impressed  upon  the  men. 

The  407th  Engineer   Sub-Depot  were   given   a   lecture,   em- 

138 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

phasis  being  laid  on  the  distinguishing  features  of  the  Battle  of 
the  Marne  and  the  aid  secured  through  the  efforts  of  Lafayette. 

The  issrd  Depot  Brigade,  Headquarters  Company,  were 
given  a  banquet.  The  Headquarters  Band  rendered  several  se 
lections  and  appropriate  remarks  were  made. 

Headquarters  First  Training  Battalion,  issd  Depot  Brigade: 
This  Battalion  was  formed  on  Sept.  6th  in  a  hollow  square  ac 
companied  by  a  band  on  the  parade  grounds  East  of  3rd  Street. 
The  French  and  United  States  national  airs  were  played  and 
respects  given  thereto  and  an  address  was  made  to  the  men  of 
this  organization  by  Capt.  J.  H.  M.  Dudley  upon  the  life  and 
services  to  this  country  of  Lafayette  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  the  significance  of  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  was  ex 
plained  and  the  events  leading  thereto  in  connection  with  this 
anniversary.  Headquarters  2nd  Training  Battalion,  as  also 
Companies  6  and  8,  attended  this  celebration.  The  gth  and  loth 
Companies  were  addressed  by  Chaplain  B.  S.  Levering  and  the 
nth  and  i2th  Companies  were  addressed  by  Capt.  H.  J.  Kim- 
ball.  A  special  dinner  was  served  in  all  the  company  messes 
following  the  addresses. 

Headquarters  4th  Battalion,  issrd  Depot  Brigade:  Four  Bat 
talions,  of  approximately  3,000  men  assembled  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Auditorium,  where  a  concert  was  given  by  the  Depot  Brigade 
Band  and  patriotic  songs  sung  by  the  entire  assembly.  A  patri 
otic  address  was  made  by  Professor  W.  A.  Mears  of  Philadel 
phia  and  the  "Marseillaise"  was  sung  by  Private  Mutch,  I5th 
Company.  An  address  was  also  made  by  Sergeant  Major  Jones, 
of  the  British  Mission,  who  took  part  in  the  Battle  of  the  Marne. 
The  ceremonies  were  closed  with  "There's  a  Long,  Long  Trail 
a  Winding." 

Headquarters  7th  Battalion:  The  battalion  was  assembled 
for  a  patriotic  address  by  the  Chaplain  concerning  Lafayette, 
while  the  Battalion  Commander  (Major  H.  N.  Arnold)  prefaced 
the  parade  by  remarks  concerning  its  significance.  On  parade, 
the  Marseillaise"  was  played  while  officers  and  men  saluted,  im 
mediately  before  the  playing  of  our  national  anthem.  A  special 
supper  was  served  and  in  the  evening  the  battalion  orchestra 
played  at  the  soldier's  club. 

139 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

Headquarters  loth  Battalion:  A  program  under  the  direction 
of  Lieut.  James  N.  Clinch,  Inf.,  U.  S.  A.  was  observed.  Patriotic 
songs  were  sung,  including  the  "Marseillaise"  and  the  "Star 
Spangled  Banner."  Lieut.  R.  M.  McDonald  and  Sergeant 
O'Neill  of  the  A.  E.  F.  made  addresses.  An  exhibition  close  or 
der  drill  by  overseas  non-commissioned  officers,  attached  to  4Oth 
Company,  was  also  given,  Capt.  J.  F.  Hanley,  commanding. 

Headquarters  isth  Training  Battalion:  Companies  were 
formed  for  retreat  at  4 150  P.  M.  and  had  read  to  them  by  Com 
pany  Commanders,  extract  from  Vol.  2,  "The  American  Revolu 
tion,"  by  John  Fiske,  concerning  General  Lafayette,  and  also  an 
extract  from  "The  Elements  of  the  Great  War,"  2nd  phrase,  by 
Hillyar  Belloc,  concerning  the  Battle  of  the  Marne.  At  the  con 
clusion  of  the  reading  of  these  extracts,  retreat  was  sounded,  arid 
the  Companies  were  held  in  formation  during  the  playing  of  the 
"Marseillaise." 

Headquarters  i4th  Training  Battalion:  The  Battalion  was 
formed  and  the  Company  Commanders  made  appropriate  ad 
dresses.  The  boys  then  stood  at  retreat  rendering  the  proper 
salute  for  the  French  National  Anthem. 


CAMP  MEADE,  MARYLAND 

The  Lafayette  Division  of  the  new  and  rapidly  growing  Amer 
ican  Army  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  the  Birth  of  Lafayette 
and  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  at  Camp  Meade.  The  tri-color  flew 
by  the  side  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  several  points  in  the  camp. 
In  the  morning  the  soldiers  practiced  with  rifles,  bayonets  and 
artillery  to  go  to  France  at  a  later  date  on  a  mission  which  was 
similar  to  that  which  brought  Lafayette  to  America.  In  the 
afternoon  they  laid  aside  their  weapons  and  joined  on  Liberty 
Field  in  paying  tribute  to  the  great  Frenchman  whose  feats 
made  possible  the  writing  of  such  interesting  pages  in  American 
history. 

Senator  Wesley  L.  Jones,  U.  S.  Senator  of  the  State  of  Wash- 

140 


Lafayette  Day  in  the  Camps 

ington,  addressed  the  boys  and  told  them  about  Lafayette.  Forty 
thousand  of  these  youths  gathered  on  the  big  field  to  listen. 
Mingled  with  them  were  officers  of  the  French  Army  who  are 
here  in  an  advisory  capacity.  An  address  was  also  delivered  by 
Major  General  Jesse  Mel.  Carter,  Commander  of  the  new  divi 
sion.  In  addition  to  this,  athletic  contests  were  held,  also  master 
singer  and  band  concerts.  The  camp  was  thrown  open  to  visi 
tors  and  thousands  attended  to  aid  the  soldiers  in  celebrating  the 
day.  In  the  evening  the  festivities  continued  in  the  bungalows 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  while  in  the  main 
auditorium  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  the  motion  picture  of 
Joan  of  Arc  was  thrown  upon  the  screen. 


141 


Lafayette  Day  and  the  Press 
LAFAYETTE  DAY  AND  THE  PRESS 

Among  the  articles  devoted  to  the  double  anniversary  of 
Lafayette  and  the  Marne,  September  6th,  1918,  are  those  which 
appeared  in  the  following  publications,  clippings  of  which  have 
been  forwarded  to  the  French  Government  through  its  Ambassa 
dor  here,  in  a  book  presented  on  behalf  of  the  Lafayette  Day 
National  Committee  and  the  Lafayette  Day  Citizens'  Committee 
of  New  York: 


Alabama: 

Birmingham   Ledger 
Birmingham  Herald 

Arkansas: 

Little  Rock  Gazette 

California: 

Los  Angeles  Express 

L'Union   Nouvelle 

Times 

San  Francisco  Chronicle 
Examiner 

Connecticut: 

Bridgeport  Post 

Telegram 
"  Times 

Hartford  Courant 

Delaware: 

Wilmington  News 

District  of  Columbia: 

Washington  Evening  Star 
"  Evening  Times 

Herald 
Post 
Star 
"  Times 

Florida: 

Jacksonville   Metropolis 
Macon  Telegraph 

Georgia: 

Atlanta  Constitution 

Illinois: 

Chicago  American 
"         Examiner 
Herald 


Chicago  Journal 
News 
Post 
Star 
Tribune 

Indiana: 

Bedford    American 
Indianapolis  American 
**  Examiner 

Star 
Times 
Richmond  Palladium 

Iowa: 

Burlington    Hawkeye 
Waterloo   Courier 

Kansas: 

Leavenworth  Times 
Wichita  Eagle 

Kentucky: 

Louisville   Courier-Journal 

Louisiana: 

New  Orleans  L'Union  Nouvelle 

Times   Picayune 
Shreveport  Times 

Maine: 

Bangor  Commercial 
Lewiston  Journal 

Maryland: 

Baltimore  American 
Star 

Massachusetts : 
Boston  Advertiser 
American 

Christian  Science  Monitor 
Union 


142 


Lafayette  Day  and  the  Press 


Boston  Daily  Globe 

Eve. 

Herald 

Post 

Record 

Transcript 

Traveler 

Fitchburg  Sentinel 
Springfield   Republican 

Michigan: 
Detroit  Free  Press 
"        News 

Minnesota: 

Minneapolis  News 

St.  Paul   Pioneer-Press 

Missouri: 

Kansas  City  Journal 
St.  Louis  Post  Dispatch 

Nebraska: 
Lincoln  Star 
Omaha  Bee 

New  Jersey: 

Atlantic  City  Gazette  Review 
Elizabeth   Evening  Journal 
«     Hoboken  Observer 
Jersey   City  Journal 

Evening  Journal 
Newark  Call 

Evening  News 
News 

Trenton  Times 
Union  Hill  Dispatch 
"     Observer 

New  York: 
Albany  Journal 

Knickerbocker 
Auburn  Advertiser-Journal 

Citizen 
Brooklyn  Citizen 

"  Daily  Eagle 

"  Standard  Union 

Times 

Buffalo  Courrier 
"         Enquirer 
"         Express 
"         News 

New  York  City  Aerial  Age 
"         "        "      American 
"      Call 

Commercial 
"         "         "      Courrier  des  Etats 


New  York  City  Evening  Sun 

"  "  "  M  \\T  t   J 

World 
Exhibitors     Trade 

Review 

Financial  Amer. 
"      Globe 
Heraid 

Jour,  of  Com. 
Journal 
Mail 

Motion    Picture 
Musical  America 
Morn.    Telegraph 
Fnancial  America 
News 

"     Outlook 
"      Post 
Review 
Sun 

Telegram 
Times 

Town  Topics 
Tribune 
War  Weekly 
"      World 
Rochester  Chronicle 
Herald 
Post  Express 
Schenectady  Gazette 
Syracuse  Post  Standard 
Utica  Press 

Ohio: 

Cincinnati   Enquirer 

Post 

Tribune 
.Tribune 
Toledo  Times 

Oregon: 

Portland   Oregonian 


Pennsylvania: 
Altoona  Times 
Tribune 

Enquirer 
J'hiladelphia  Bulletin 

Evening  Ledger 
North  American 
Press 

Public  Ledger 
Record 
Pittsburgh  Despatch 
Leader 
Post 
Press 


143 


Lafayette  Day  and  the  Press 


Rhode  Island: 

Providence  Journal 

South  Carolina: 

Charleston  American 

Tennessee: 

Memphis  Commercial  Appeal 
Nashville  Banner 

Texas: 

Beaumont  Journal 
Galveston  News 

Virginia: 

Danville  Bee 

Norfolk  Virginian  Pilot 

Richmond  Journal 

"          Times  Dispatch 


Washington: 
Seattle  Times 
Spokane  Spokesman 

W.  Virginia: 

Wheeling  Intelligencer 

Register 
Wisconsin: 

Milwaukee  Evening  Journal 
Evening  Sentinel 
Free  Press 
Journal 

Wyoming: 

Sheridan   Enterprise 

CANADA 

Montreal  Star 
Toronto  Star 


F44 


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